GARDENING 
roRLITT^ 



Class 5 r34 57 

Book -Pis' 

COPYRIGHT DEPOSm 



GARDENING FOR 
LITTLE GIRLS 



PEACTICAL AETS FOR LITTLE 
GIRLS 

A Series Uniform with this Volume 
Each hook, illustrated, 75 cents net 



COOKERY FOR LITTLE GIRLS 
* * * 

SEWING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 
« • « 

WORK AND PLAY FOR 
LITTLE GIRLS 

« « • 

HOUSEKEEPING FOR 
LITTLE GIRLS 

« # « 

GARDENING FOR 
LITTLE GIRLS 



GARDENING 
FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



BY 

OLIVE HYDE FOSTER 

Author of 
"Cookery for Little Girls" 
"Sewing for Little Girls" 
"Housekeeping for Little Girls" 




NEW YORK 
DUFFIELD & COMPANY 
1917 




Copyright, 1916, by 
HOUSE AND GARDEN 

Copyright, :!91C, by 
HOUSE^^^R'ES MAGAZINE 

Copyright, 1917, by 
ST. NICHOLAS 
The Century Co. 

Copyright, 1917, by 
COUNTRYSIDE MAGAZINE 
The Independent Co. 

Copyright, 1917, by 
OLIVE HYDE FOSTER 




JUN i8 1917 



©CLA487463 



DEDICATED TO 

Junior and Allan, 
of tJie dearest children tliat ever showed 
love for the soil. 



Preface 



Children take naturally to gardening, and few 
occupations count so much for their development, 
— mental, moral and physical. 

Where children's garden clubs and community 
gardens have been tried, the little folks have 
shown an aptitude surprising to their elders, and 
under exactly the same natural, climatic con- 
ditions, the children have often obtained astonish- 
ingly greater results. Moreover, in the poor dis- 
tricts many a family table, previously unattractive 
and lacking in nourishment, has been made attrac- 
tive as well as nutritous, with their fresh green 
vegetables and flowers. 

Ideas of industry and thrift, too, are at the 
same time inculcated without words, and habits 
formed that affect their character for life. A 
well-known New York City Public School super- 
intendent once said to me that she had a flower 
bed every year in the children's gardens, where 
a troublesome boy could always be controlled by 
giving to him the honor of its care and keeping. 



GAEDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



The love of nature, whether inborn or acquired, 
is one of the greatest sources of pleasure, and any 
scientific knowledge connected with it of inestim- 
able satisfaction. Carlyle's lament was, Would 
that some one had taught me in childhood the 
names of the stars and the grasses." 

It is with the hope of helping both mothers and 
children that this little book has been most lov- 
ingly prepared. 



CONTENTS 



CHAPTER PAGE 

I First Steps Toward a Garden 1 

II Planning and Planting the Flower- 
beds 9 

III Flowers That Must Be Eenewed 

Every Year (Annuals) 19 

ly Flowers That Live Through Two 

Years 30 

V FLO^^^^:RS That Come Up Every Year 

BY Themselves (Perennials) 37 

VI Flowers That Spring From a Store - 
house (Bulbs and Tubers) 48 

VII That Queen — the Rose 58 

VIII Vines, Tender and Hardy 71 

IX Shrubs We Love to See 78 

X Vegetable Growing for the Home 

Table 82 

XI Your Garden's Friends and Foes 94 

XII A Morning-Glory Playhouse 102 

XIII The Work of a Children's Garden 

Club.... 107 

XIV The Care of House Plants 115 

XV Gifts That AYill Please a Flower 

Lover 130 

XVI The Gentlewoman's Art — Arranging 

Flowers. . , , 137 



ILLUSTRATIONS 



Puzzle Picture, — Find the Little Girl, 

Frontispiece t 
Facing Page 



First Work in the Spring 14 

Kim and Columbine 40 

Taking Care of Table Ferns 56 

CLEANING Up Around the Shrubs 78 

All Eeady to Hoe 90 

An Outgrown Playhouse , . . . 112 

Spring Beauties 126 

Line Drawings in Text 

Page 

Plan for a Small Back Yard 12 

An Artistic Arrangement of a Narrow 

City Lot 14 

Flowers That Will Bloom From Early 

Summer Until Frost 16 

Blossoms in Japanese Arrangement 138 



NOTE 



As the desire is to give the widest possible range 
of information about the plants and flowers men- 
tioned herein, and space forbids going into details 
in each case, the writer has endeavored to mention 
all the colors, extremes of height, and entire season 
of bloom of each kind. But the grower must find 
out the particular variety obtained, and NOT ex- 
pect a shrubby clematis to climb, or a fall rose to 
blossom in the spring ! 



GARDENING FOR 
LITTLE GIRLS 



A garden is a lovesome thing, God wot! 
Rose plot, 

Fringed pool, 
Fern'd grot — 

The veriest school 
Of peace; and yet the fool 
Contends that God is not — 
Not God ! in gardens ! when the eve is cool ? 
Nay but I have a sign : 
'Tis very sure God walks in mine. 

— TJiomas Edward Brown. 



GARDENING FOR 
LITTLE GIRLS 

CHAPTER I 

First Steps Toward a Garden 

And becanse the breath of flowers is far sweeter 
in the air (where it comes and goes, like the warb- 
ling of music) than in the hand, therefore nothing 
is more fit for that delight than to know v/hat be 
the flowers and plants that do best perfume the air. 

— Bacon. 

If you want a flower garden, you can begin 
work as early as March. Does that sound strange, 
— with cold winds and occasional snow? Ah, but 
the plans should all be laid then, and many things 
started in the house. 

Four steps must be taken before starting actual 
work: 

First. — Find out what space you can have for 
your garden. 

Second. — Consider the soil, situation, surround- 
ings. 

1 



GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



Tliird. — Make a list of seeds, bulbs, etc., desired. 
Fourtli. — Decide on planting with view to height 
and color. 

As to the first step, find out positively where 
you can have your garden. It makes considerable 
difference whether you can have the whole back 
yard, a plot along the walk, a round bed in the 
center of the lawn (only worse than none at all!), 
or a window-box. You can not very well decide 
on a single plant until this is settled. 

As to the second step, learn all you can about 
the soil, situation, surroundings. Is your ground 
rich or poor? If light and sandy, you can grow 
such flowers as nasturtiums and mignonette. By 
adding fertilizer you can have poppies, roses, and 
dahlias. If the ground is heavy and stiff with 
clay, you can still have your roses and dahlias if 
you will add both manure and sand. So find out 
what kind of earth you are going to work with. 
Quite poor soil will grow sweet alyssum, Cali- 
fornia poppies, coreopsis and geraniums, while 
rich soil is needed for asters, larkspur, zinnias and 
marigolds. And think about your location (a dry 
spot being necessary for portulaca, and a cool, 
moist place for lily-of-the-valley) , as well as bear 
in mind whether your garden is sheltered and 
warm or exposed to the chilly winds. Any desert 

2 



GAEDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



can be made to blossom as the rose, — if you only 
know how. 

As to the third step, make the list of the seeds, 
bulbs, etc., that you would like, with the idea of 
having some flowers in bloom the whole summer 
long. If you are lucky enough to have a kind 
friend or neighbor give you of her store, they will 
probably be good and come up as they should. If 
you have to buy, though, be sure to go to a first- 
class, reliable dealer, for you don't want to waste 
yoviv time and money on old things that won't grow. 

Then last of all, decide on your planting from 
this list with a view to height and color, so that you 
will arrange to the best advantage, — the nastur- 
tiums which climb, for instance, going to the back 
of the bed against wall or trellis, while the dwarf 
variety should be at the front. 

BIG WORDS FOR COMMON THINGS 

To select your flowers intelligently, though, you 
must know something about their nature, habits, 
and tendencies, and certain words always found in 
seed catalogues and garden books may be puzzling 
to a beginner. 

a. Annuals, for example, are the plants that 
live but a year or a single season. 
3 



GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



b. Biennials, however, continue for two years 

before they perish, making roots and 
leaves the first year and usually flowering 
the second. 

c. Perennials are the kind that continue for 

more than two years. 

d. Deciduous refers to the shrubs and trees that 

lose their leaves in the fall. 

e. Evergreens are those that keep their verdure 

the whole year round. 

f. Herbaceous plants may be annual, biennial 

or perennial, but they have a stem that 
does not become woody, and that dies down 
after flowering. 

g. Hybrids are plants produced by crossing,'* 

or mixing two distinct varieties. 

PLANT NEEDS 
All plant life, you must understand, requires five 
things,— WARMTH, LIGHT, AIR, WATER and 
FOOD. But plants differ as much as people, and 
some need more of one thing than they do of an- 
other. Some grow best in sunlight, others in the 
shade ; some in sand, others in rich soil. You will 
have to find out what each kind requires. The food 
properties needed in the soil have some big names, 
too, — nitrogen, potash and phosphoric acid, all of 
which are found in farm manures. If you can not 
conveniently get these, however, florists and seed- 
men can supply you with other fertilizers more eas- 
ily handled. 

4 



GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



THE SEED NURSERY 

If you are just getting ready to start your gar- 
den, the annuals, — the plants that flower from seed 
the first season though they do not come up again, — 
will probably interest you most as they give the 
quickest returns. Many kinds can be started in the 
house in March, and for this purpose any kind of 
a shallow box will answer. Bore holes in the bot- 
tom and put in a layer of broken pottery or stones, 
to permit drainage, so the roots will not rot. Fill 
three or four inches deep with good soil, after pul- 
verizing and taking out all sticks and stones. 

RULES FOR INDOOR PLANTING 

Mark grooves in seed boxes (or ^ * flats '0 with a 
stick, in parallel lines. 

Plant seeds only about their own depth. 

Scatter thinly to avoid crowding. 

Press soil down firmly after seeds have been cov- 
ered. 

Keep the earth moist by means of a fine spray, 
or sprinkle with a whisk broom. The ordi- 
nary sprinkler lets out the water with such 
force as to wash the seeds clear out of the 
ground. 

The very finest seeds should be sprinkled lightly 
— and thinly — over the pulverized soil and 
then pressed into the earth with a small board. 

The different seeds should be sown in separate 
5 



GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



rows, and the names plainly marked on the 
edge of the box, so you will not become con- 
fused, or forget what you are growing. 
Cover the boxes with glass or a newspaper for the 
first week, to keep the earth moist and warm 
until the seeds sprout. 

FAMILIAR ANNUALS 

Even as early as March you can start in the boxes 
in this way any of the following annuals, which will 
bloom at the time mentioned or even earlier : — 

Ageratum, blue, good for edging; blooms for 

three months during summer. 
Asters, white, pink, red, purple ; early in the fall. 
Alyssum, sweet, white; from May to Novemher. 
Amethyst, blue, violet, white ; flowers all summer. 
Balsam, white, red, j^ellow ; from July to middle 

of September. 
Chrysanthemum, tricolor; August to middle of 

October. 

Cosmos, white, pink, crimson ; August to Novem- 
ber. 

Cypress vine, red, and white starry blossoms; 
June and July. 

Godetia, red, white ; July to October. 

Moonflower (Japanese morning-glory), white, a 
vine; August to Septembei'. 

Pansy, all shades and combinations, of white, yel- 
low, purple; July on. 

Chinese pink, white, rose, maroon; May to Au- 
gust. 

Salvia, red ; August to frost. 

6 



GAEDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



Ten Weeks' Stock, white, pink, purple; June and 
July. 

Zinnia, red, yellow, magenta ; July to November. 

EASILY GROWN PERENNIALS 

Both the perennials and the biennials following 
should all blossom the first year if started in the 
house in March :— 

Gaillardia, red, yellow. 
Forget-me-not, lovely blue. 
Larkspur, blue. 

Snapdragon, white, red, purple, yellow, pink. 
Sweet William, white, pink, red, maroon, plain, 

varigated. 
Coreopsis, yellow. 
Cupid's Dart, blue. 
Iceland Poppy, yellow, white, scarlet. 

Get as many as you can — and your space will 
permit, — of all the lovely old perennials and the 
bulbs that come up every season with little or no 
care. One of the oldest, — ^now deserted — farm- 
houses on Long Island, still carries in its dooryard 
the impress of some gentle flower-lover long since 
passed away, in its annual spring beauty of daffo- 
dils and lilies-of-the-valley. And the few bulbs and 
pips transplanted from there to my own garden, 
have thrived and spread so profusely that I, too, 
can pass them on to others. 

7 



GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



HARDY FLOWERS ALL SUMMER 

With carefully chosen bulbs and perennials alone, 
it is possible to have a succession of lovely 
blooms. In March your heart will be made happy 
with snowdrop and crocus; in April with violet, 
daffodil, narcissus, hyacinth and tulip ; in May and 
June with spirea, peony, iris, forget-me-not, colum- 
bine, baby 's breath, bleeding heart, mountain pink, 
candj-iuft, Chinese pink; in July and August, 
golden glow, hollyhock, larkspur, hardy phlox, 
snap-dragon; September and October, sunflower, 
dahlia, gladiolus and aster, with November closing 
the season with all kinds of beautiful chrysanthe- 
mums. And many of these often come earlier than 
expected, or stay later. How easily raised are they 
by the person with little time ! 



8 



CHAPTER II 



Planning and Planting the 
Flower Beds 

God the first garden made. — Coivley. 

While the snow is on the ground, you can be de- 
ciding on the best place for your garden, and find- 
ing out the kind of flowers and vegetables best 
suited to your soil and locality. 

Write to your Representative at Washington, re- 
questing the seeds he may have to give away. Write 
to two or three prominent seed firms for catalogues, 
and look over the garden books at your Public 
Library. Then if you do not quickly find yourself 
suffering from a violent attack of Garden Fever, 
you might as well give up, and not attempt to have 
a garden, for you will be lacking the real love and 
enthusiasm that count for success. 

Did you ever realize that gardens differ as much 
9 



GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



as people? ''No two gardens, no two human faces, 
were ever quite alike/' says one writer, and you 
want to make yours expressive of yourself. So be- 
fore taking another step, study your grounds, large 
and small, — for if you can have only part of a tiny 
plot, you still have many possibilities of expressing 
your own ideas and taste. 

The garden is for the personal pleasure of the 
family, so DON'T put it out in front, for the care- 
less passerby. Choose a more secluded spot where, 
if you wish, you can train a vine to shade your seat 
when you want to sit down and enjoy the birds, 
butterflies and flowers. 

EASY RULES FOR ARTISTIC PLANTING 

Right here is the place to stop and draw a map 
of your proposed garden, and mark off the spaces 
for your chosen plants. You might draw half a 
dozen plans, and then choose the most suitable. 
Only never forget the simple rules of a famous 
landscape gardener: — 

1. Plant in masses, not isolated. 

2. Avoid straight lines. 

3. Preserve open lawn centers. 

When you have decided on the location of your 
10 



GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



garden, coax some one stronger than yourself to 
dig up the ground thoroughly, and spade in some 
fertilizer, — preferably farmyard manure. Plants 
live on the tonic salts they draw out of the soil 
through their roots, as much as they do on the car- 
bonic acid gas which they take out of the air 
through their leaves. So have the ground nour- 
ishing, and also nicely pulverized and free from 
sticks and stone, that the little rootlets can easily 
work their way through and find their needed nu- 
triment. 

Never forget that third rule before mentioned, — 
^'Preserve open lawn centers." A beautiful lawn 
is as satisfying to the eye as flowers, so ne^^er spoil 
one by cutting it up with beds. They can be put 
along the sides, used for bordering walks, and 
nestled close to the house. 

PLAN FOR SIMALL BACK YARD 

One of the loveliest gardens I know is at the back 
end of a city lot, not more than thirty feet square, 
with a plot of velvety grass in the center. The ir- 
regular border surrounding this bit of lawn is a 
mass of flowers from earliest spring until black 
frost, — from March until December, — and delights 
the whole neighborhood. The secret lies in the fact 

11 



GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



that the owner knows how to plant for succession 
of bloom. The ground is laid out this way. 









FLOWERS 


Of 

HOUSE 




1) 








CRASS 










PLOT j 


8 


6TRIP0F W!LO 
OAR DEN SHAOLO 
6YN£XT MOUSE 










FLOWERS 



PLAN FOR A SMALL BACK YARD 



If you can have only a single flower bed, however, 
try to get it in a sunny, protected spot, preferably 
facing south, where the cold winds of early spring 
and late fall will do the least damage. Make a list 
of the flowers that like such conditions, — and most 
of them do, — and then pick out those you prefer, 
writing after each name the time that it blooms. 
Be sure to select some of each of the early spring, 
late spring, summer, early fall, and late fall, so that 
you will have flowers to enjoy the whole season 
through. 

SUCCESSION OF BLOOM 
For example, you can choose first from the cro- 
cus, snowdrop, scilla, the hardy candytuft that 
rivals the snow for whiteness, and the tiny creep- 

12 



GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



ing phlox that will carpet your bed with pink; 
next, from the daffodil, narcissus and jonquil 
groups, with the tulips, — all of which must be set 
out in the fall for bloom in April and May: then 
the iris in May and June. Sweet alyssum, nastur- 
tiums, corn flowers, Shirley poppies and cosmos 
(all annuals), you can count on blooming around 
New York from July to black frost; dahlias from 
August to black frost, and monthly roses the entire 
summer, — with a tidal wave in June. (I know, for 
I have seen them all, over and over again.) 

Many of the annuals can be started indoors, or 
in a glass-covered box outside. Then when the 
early flowering bulbs have faded, you can turn 
their green tops under the ground, first to allow 
the sap to run back into the bulb (the storehouse 
for next year) , and next to decay and fertilize the 
soil. The annual seedlings can then be placed right 
on top ! You thus avoid bare, ugly spots, and keep 
your garden lovely. 

Dahlias planted out about the first of June will 
bloom from early fall until cold weather sets in; 
and certain roses, like the Mrs. J ohn Laing and all 
of the hybrid teas, will flower nearly as late. In 
fact, in the famous rose garden of Jackson Park, 
Chicago, as well as in private grounds around New 
York, I have seen roses blooming in December. 

13 



GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



You hardly need be afraid of crowding, either, 
if yon will be particular to keep out the weeds, and 
occasionally work into the soil some bone-meal for 
fertilizer. Water in dry weather. This does not 
mean top sprinkling, for that is decidedly injurious. 
When the ground is dry, soak it thoroughly. 

A CITY GARDEN 

If you live in a city, you may be interested in a 
garden I have seen, which ran along the side and 
rear end of a long, narrow lot. The tallest flowers, 
— dahlias and hollyhocks, — were at the back of the 



EAST 




AN ARTISTIC ARRANGEMENT OF A NARROW CITY LOT 



bed, at the extreme end, and although late in flower- 
ing, formed a beautiful green background for the 
rest all summer. The first irregular section was 
given up to the blues, and— planted with both an- 

14 



GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



nual and perennial larkspur, and cornflowers, — 
kept the dining-table supplied with blossoms to 
match the old blue china until the frost came. 

Frost, by the way, you will find of two kinds, — 
hoar frost, which the Psalmist so vividly described 
when he said, *^He scattereth the hoarfrost like 
ashes," and which injures only the tenderest flow- 
ers; and black frost, which is of intense enough 
cold to freeze the sap within the plant cells, so that 
when the sun^s heat melts this frozen sap the plant 
— leaf and stalk — ^wilts down and turns black. 
Therefore, both in the early spring and the late 
fall, you must watch out for Jack, whichever garb 
he dons, and give your tender plants some nighty 
covering. 



A LITTLE BED FOR A LITTLE GIRL 

If you can have only one small bed, however, 
you can get a lot of pleasure out of it most of the 
season if you will carefully choose your plants. 
Pansies set along the outer edge will blossom until 
mid-summer if you keep them picked and watered 
every day ; and verbenas, which have the same har- 
monizing shades, you can count on blooming until 

15 



GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



late in the fall. They would be attractive in either 
of the following simple designs: 




FLOWERS THAT WILL BLOOM FROM EARLY SUMMER 
UNTIL FROST 

Candytuft for a border, with petunias in the 
center, is another combination that should blossom 
from June until frost. Poppies and cornflowers 
would also last all summer if you would keep out 
part of the seed and sow a couple of times at in- 
tervals of several weeks. The combinations of red 
and blue is very pretty, too. Sweet alyssum, with 
red or pink geraniums, would be lovely all season. 
For an all yellow bed, plant California poppies to 
bloom early in the border, and African marigolds, 
or Tom Thumb nasturtiums to bloom in the center 
from July on late into the fall. With any of the 
combinations suggested you could gather flowers 
almost any time you pleased, for they are all pro- 
fuse bloomers. 



16 



GAEDEXIXG FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



WINDOW BOXES 

If you are a little city child, and can have only 
a flower box in a window or along a porch-rail, 
cheer np ! There is still a chance for you to have 
posies all the long hot days. After ha^dng your 
box filled with good, rich soil on top of a layer of 
broken crockery or stones, — for drainage, you know, 
—you can plant running nasturtiums along the 
edge for a hanging vine. Inside of that plant a 
row of the blue lobelia, or set in a few pansies al- 
ready in bloom. Then you would have room for 
still another row of taller plants, — say pink and 
white geraniums, with a fern or two. Another 
pretty box could be made by putting Wandering 
Jew or ^'inch plant'' along the edge for the droop- 
ing vine, then blue ageratum for your edging, with 
next a row of lovely pink begonias. As it takes a 
number of weeks for any seeds to grow and come 
to flower, you might better save your candy pennies 
and buy a few blooming plants from the spring 
pedlar. They vriU gladden your heart while wait- 
ing. 

All kinds of green add to these little boxes, and 
all the white flowers soften and help to blend the 
bright colors. China asters, in white, pink, and 
lavender, are lovely in a window box, and if started 

17 



GAEDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



in shallow trays or old pots early in the spring, 
can be transplanted later. Then when your 
early flowers have seen their best days, you can 
remove them, put in your asters, and have beauties 
aU f aU. 



18 



CHAPTER III 



Flowers that Must be Renewed 
Every Year~( Annuals) 

And 'tis my faith that every flower enjoys the 
air it breathes. 

— Wordsworth, 

If you want flowers that grow quickly, plant 
annuals ! Some will bloom within six weeks, so if 
you can help out meantime with some transplanted 
roots and bulbs, you will have flowers from the first 
of the season. 

Plant thickly, says one writer. ''It is easier 
and more profitable to grow flowers than weeds," 

The following annuals can be sown outdoors late 
in April, as far North as New York, in ordihary 

19 



GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



seasons, — only remember tliat those marked with 
a * do not like to be transplanted : — 



Alyssum 

Aster 

Candytuft 

Chrysanthemum (Annual) 
Coreopsis (Annual) 
Cosmos 
Godetia 

Larkspur (Annual) 

Marigold 

Nicotiana 

Pansy 

Petunia 



Phlox Drummondi 

Pink, Chinese 
Salvia 

Stock, Ten Weeks' 
Zinnia 

* California Poppy 

* Cornflower 

* Mignonette 

* Morning glory 

* Nasturtium 

* Portulaca 

* Sweet Sultan 



OUTDOOR PLANTING 



Have the soil in your flower bed made fine and 
light with sand and fertilizer, and entirely free 
from sticks and stones. If it should happen to be 
already too sandy, add black loam or leaf mold. 
(Either father or brother will probably have time 
to help you get this right.) 

Plant your seeds evenly, and rather sparingly if 
you do not want to pull up a lot later on account 
of being crowded. And you can plant either in 
lines or scatter in patches in bed or border, as you 
prefer, only be sure that the seed is covered about 
four times its own depth. A few things, like pop- 

20 



GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



pies and portulaca, have such tiny seeds that it is 
best to mix them with half a teaspoonful of fine 
soil, and scatter it where you wish, afterwards 
pressing down firmly with a small board. 

TRANSPLANTING— ANNUALS 

When your plants have developed a few leaves, 
and are big enough to handle, prepare to transplant 
them. This exercise does them good, and while a 
few resent it, the rest will grow better and be 
stronger. Choose morning or evening for the work, 
although it can be done at any time on a cloudy 
day. (One of my friends loves to do her trans- 
planting in the rain!) Be sure that the ground 
is thoroughly damp, even if you have to sprinkle 
it well beforehand. 

PUDDLING 

Lift each seedling with a spoon, so as to keep a 
ball of the moist earth around the roots, set it in a 
hole made where you want your flower to grow, 
and then fill up this hole with water before you 
begin to put in the rest of the soil. This is called 
puddling, and will enable you to do your trans- 
planting with the least possible disturbance to the 

21 



GAEDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



roots. Next add all the soil necessary to fill up tlie 
hole, and press firmly around the plant. Then 
cover with an old can or berry box. or even a cone 
of newspaper held in place with stones, until the 
seedling has had time to get used to its new sur- 
roundings. And remember that this ^ ^ puddling, ' ' 
followed by protection from the sun, will enable 
you. to transplant almost anything you wish, suc- 
cessfully. 

SWEET PEAS 

Sweet peas require peculiar treatment for an an- 
nual. As early as the ground can be worked, — 
about the middle of March around New York, — 
get some one to dig you a trench (and it is best to 
have it run north and south), about fifteen inches 
deep. Have put in this trench a layer of well- 
rotted manure, then a layer of soil, a sprinkling of 
wood ashes, and then another layer of soil, filling 
the trench untU it is left only six or eight inches 
deep. Soak your seeds over night in warm water 
to make them start more quickly, and then plant 
them two inches apart, in a double row. Cover 
with only a few inches of soil until they sprout, and 
then gradually fill up the trench as the raies grow. 
Train them on brush or chicken wire, and keep 

22 



GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



tliem well watered in order to get the best results. 

The latest method I have had recommended for 
growing sweet peas, — ^bnt which I have not tried, — 
is to have the soil just as carefully prepared, but 
then to rake it smooth, make a straight drill only- 
half an inch deep, and plant 3 seeds every 6 inches 
in the row. If all three grow, pull up the two weak- 
est, leaving only the best plant every 16 inches 
apart. This way, — with plenty of water and cul- 
tivation, is said to produce the very finest kind of 
flowers. You might try a few on the side. 

During the hot weather put grass clippings 
around the roots to help keep them moist and pro- 
tected from the hot sun. Cut the flowers every day 
in order to prolong their blooming. 

A word about names, though, before we go a 
step farther. I intended at first to give you only 
the common names, despite the protests of a very 
good friend, — an English botanist. To clinch her 
argument one day, she exclaimed with considerable 
heat, ^^Why, what they call ^baby's breath' here 
on Long Island might be 'infant's sneeze' up in 
Connecticut! But if you tell the children it's real 
name is GYPSOPHILA, they'll never be mis- 
taken." 

And later, when I found that foxglove (orig- 
inally Folk's glove, alluding to the little folk," or 

23 



GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



fairies) has been known also — according to Hol- 
land — as Thimbles, Fairy Cap, Fairy Fingers, 
Fairy Thimbles, Fairy Bells, Dog's Fingers, Finger 
Flowers, Lady's Glove, Lady Fingers, Lady's Thim- 
ble, Pop Dock, Flap Dock, Flop Dock, Lion's 
Mouth, Rabbit 's Flower, Cottages, Throatwort, and 
Scotch Mercury, I concluded I would better urge 
you to remember its Latin name, DIGITALIS, by 
which the plant is known the world over. 

The botanical terms will easily stick in your 
mind, too, because they are unusual. Then people 
who are familiar with flowers will know exactly 
what you are talking about, and you yourself will 
always have a certain pride in the scientific knowl- 
edge that enables you to call things by their right 
name. 

You will see, if you study the lists given, what a 
simple matter it is to plan for a garden, big or lit- 
tle, and with reasonable care you will be rewarded 
with flowers throughout the season. The follow- 
ing list will give you more explicit information 
about the ones people like best: — 



24 



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CHAPTER IV 



Flowers that Live Through 
Two Years 

In all places then, and in all seasons, 

Flowers expand their light and soul-like wings, 
Teaching us by most persuasive reasons, 

How akin they are to human things. 

— Longfellow. 

Between the flowers that we have to plant every 
year, — the annuals, — and those that after once be- 
ing started continue to greet us summer after sum- 
mer, — the perennials, — comes a little group of old 
favorites that has to be planted one summer (and 
then generally protected from the cold), in order 
to bring them to their full beauty the second year. 
And as few of them self-sow, it is necessary to plant 
and carry over every season. 

30 



GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



The biennial seeds are best sown in the seed 
nursery, where they can be watched and protected. 
In the late sununer the young plants will be big 
, and strong enough to set out in the border, al- 
though you must give them a light covering of 
leaves and litter. The seeds started in July and 
August, however, better be left protected in the 
nursery and moved in the early spring. 

The dainty blue forget-me-not, or myosotis, is one 
of the best loved of this class. Some varieties are 
hardy, and often found growing wild. It gener- 
ally does best in a damp, partly shaded location. 
It grows from 6 to 18 inches high, according to the 
different kinds, which blossom most of the summer. 
The seeds of biennials seldom produce flowers the 
first summer, but several — and among them the 
myosotis, — after being grown a few years in the 
same spot, come up like perennials, on account 
of sowing themselves. 

The foxglove is another of the few biennials that 
are hardy, and it also likes a cool, shady spot. If 
the plants come up thickly, transplant part of them 
to any well-prepared, rich ground, and keep moist 
and well cultivated until the middle of September, 
when you should move them again to their per- 



31 



GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



manent home. Foxgloves, like forget-me-nots, sow 
themLselves, and the little plants coming up this way 
should be transplanted and given plenty of room to 
grow and become strong before their time to bloom. 
Do not forget to cover during the winter ! 

English daisies (which are tender perennials), 
and pansies (which generally are grown as an- 
nuals), can both be started in the seed nursery in 
August, thinned out and protected before cold 
weather sets in, and then moved to where you wish 
them to bloom, in the early spring. 

Canterbury bells do best when the seed is sown 
the middle of April in ground that is rich, well pre- 
pared, moist, and partly shady. The middle of July 
move to a temporary place, and set the plants 6 to 8 
inches apart. Then early in October transplant to 
where you want them to blossom the next season. 
But before the frost comes, protect these tender lit- 
tle plants with some old berry boxes, then straw or 
leaves over the top, and in the spring work a small 
quantity of fertilizer around the roots. Tie the 
stalks as they begin to get tall, to stout stakes, to 
prevent their being blown over by storms: and if 
you will keep cutting off the old flowers so they 
will not go to seed, you can coax your plants to 



32 



GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



bloom an extra month or six weeks. Properly- 
treated, they will last from July to the middle of 
September. But to enjoy these lovely visitors reg- 
ularly, it is necessary to plant the seed every year. 

Of the border carnations, the Chabaud and Mar- 
guerite types are hardy enough to stand the winter 
if slightly covered, and will flower profusely the 
second year, but they make off-shoots, which bring 
to bloom a few weeks after sowing. 

Hollyhocks from seed do not blossom until the 
second year, but they make ofE-shoots, which bring 
flowers every season thereafter. And as they sow 
themselves, people often mistake them for peren- 
nials. They come both single and double, and are 
especially lovely against a wall or a green back- 
ground. 

The evening primrose, tall and stately, with large 
yellow flowers, is easily grown in almost any soil. 
It thrives in almost any soil, and blooms the entire 
summer. 

Of the wallflowers, the biennial variety will blos- 
som most of the summer if grown in a moist, shady 
place and not allowed to go to seed. These come 
in yellows, reddish brown and purplish brown. 
They need winter protection. 



33 



GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



The horned poppy, though a biennial, will flower 
the first year if started indoors in March. It likes 
an open, sunny spot, and if old flowers are kept 
picked off, will bloom all summer. 

Sweet "William is another old-fashioned garden 
favorite that is usually considered a perennial, but 
which does its best the second year from seed. As 
it self -sows, it goes on forever, like Tennyson's 
brook, once it gets started. In protecting, however, 
do not get fertilizer directly over the crown, or it 
will cause decay. 

Mullein pink, or Rose Campion as it is often 
called, is another of our grandmothers' pets, and 
if started very early, will flower the first season. 

Now all of the biennials I have described are 
easily grown, and sure to bring great pleasure. 
And really it is worth while to curb one's impa- 
tience, and wait, when necessary, until the second 
season, for the sake of these lovely hardy beauties. 



34 



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CHAPTER V 



Flowers that come up Every 
Year by Themselves 
(Perennials) 

No, the heart that has truly lov'd never forgets, 

But as truly loves on to the close ; 
As the sunflower turns on her god when he sets 

The same look which she turn'd when he rose, 

— Moore. 

That big word ARISTOCRACY simply means 
*Hhose who rise above the rest of the community in 
any important respect,'' — and rightly, indeed, are 
the perennials called 'Hhe aristocrats of the gar- 
den.'' They are strong and sturdy (good points 
in both people and flowers), and can be depended 
on to appear about a certain time, make us a nice 
visit with all their loveliest clothes, and show their 
appreciation of our attention and care by return- 
ing every season with increased beauty and grace. 

A few of the perennials, such as the peony and 
the iris, grow so slowly that generally people 

37 



GAEDENING FOE LITTLE GIELS 



haven't the patience to wait for them to flower from 
seed, and instead try to get some roots from their 
more fortunate friends, or buy from a florist. But 
I will tell you more about this class in connection 
with the bulb and tuber families. 

THE SEED BED 

While a small number of these beauties will 
bloom the first year if started early in the spring, 
most of them make their debut in garden society 
the second summer. Before that they have to be 
watched, or they might meet with accident. A good 
way, therefore, is to have a little bed (preferaMy a 
cold frame) for a seed nursery off to one side, in 
a safe place, where the baby plants can be cared 
for, protected from cold, and tended like the in- 
fants they are, until grov/n up and old enough to 
enter the society of bed or border. In such a place 
the seeds should be planted in fine, rich soil, pref- 
erably from the middle of May to the 1st of July, 
and all carefully marked. Sow thinly, and then 
cover the seed by sifting over with fine soil from 
Vs Vi i^ch deep. Sprinkle very lightly by means 
of a whisk broom dipped in water, so as not to 
wash out the seed, and if you possibly can, cover 
with a piece of glass. Keep in the shade at first, 

38 



GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



and never let dry out. Some of this seed will ger- 
minate in less than a week, while some may take 
so long that you will think it is not going to grow 
at all! But don't give up; and maybe some clay 
when you have forgotten all about it, you wiU 
discover a lot of new babies in your nursery. 

TRANSPLANTING PEREN^^ALS 

As soon as your seedlings are big and strong 
enough to be handled, they must be carefully lifted 
and set in another part of the nursery, not less than 
3 inches apart, protected from the hot sun, and 
left until they become strong, sturdy children. 
Then early in the fall, before the middle of Septem- 
ber, you can take them up very gently, without dis- 
turbing their tiny rootlets, and put them with their 
friends and relatives in the garden, wherever you 
wish them to bloom the following summer. 

Of course you couldn't.- — and 3'ou wouldn't want 
to grow everything you ever saw or heard about! 
Just think of the fun, however, of picking out a 
small number that will be sure to give you flow- 
ers, one after another, from earliest spring until 
cold weather! Yet the following list, suggested by 
one authority, is easy to get and little trouble to 
care for : 

39 



GAEDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



PERENNIALS FOR A WHOLE SEASON'S 
BLOOM 

Creeping Phlox {PMox suhulata) ; white, rose, 

lavender ; bloom April and May. 
Lily-of -the- Valley {Convallaria majalis) ; white; 

May, June. 

Bleeding Heart {Dicentra spedahilis) ; rose 

pink; April through June. 
Iris (Fleur-de-lis) ; white, purple, yellow; April 

to July. 

Peony (Paeonia officinalis) ; white, rose to crim- 
son; May, June. 

Larkspur {Delphinium) \ blues; June, July, 
September. 

Balloon Flower (Platycodon) ; blue, purple, 

white ; July to October. 
Phlox, Hardy {PMox paniculata) ; no blue nor 

real yellow; June through September. 
Golden Glow {RudhecMa laciniata) ; yellow; 

August. 

Blanket Flower {Gaillardia aristata) ; yellow, 

red ; July to October. 
Boltonia {Boltonia latisquama) ; lilac ; August to 

October. 

Sunflower (HeliantTius) ; yellow; July to Octo- 
ber. 

The fault that I would find with the gentleman's 
list is that he has omitted chrysanthemums, which 
could be substituted for sunflowers to most people's 
satisfaction, — and which also would bloom as late 
as November. Also I should prefer columbine to 

40 



/ 



GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



his bleeding hearts, — and the golden-spurred va- 
riety will bloom from early May to early August ! 
Above all, instead of boltonia, I would use the ador- 
able snapdragons, which, although considered a 

tender perennial," will survive cold weather if 
well protected. 

But then, as I once heard, '^A man's garden is 
like his wife, whom he never would think of com- 
paring with anybody else's." So you don't have 
to follow any one's choice. Just make a list of the 
flowers that you like, find out when they bloom, and 
then choose as few or as many as you have room 
for, remembering to plan for something lovely 
every month of the blooming season. 

One note of warning, however. After you have 
made your list, consult some friend that is a suc- 
cessful gardener, and make sure that what you 
have chosen will thrive in your particular local- 
ity. If you find it does not, strike it off, and put 
in something that will. 



41 



Blooming 
Season 


May, June 

Aug. to Oct. 

April, May 

Dec. to March, 
outdoors 

Sept. to Nov. 

May to Aug. 

June to Oct. 

April to June 

June, July, Sep. 
Oct. Cut down 
after each 
flowering 

May to fall 


Place 


Likes half 
shade 

Sun 
Sun 
Half shade 
Sun 
Sun 
Sun 
Sun 

• 

Sun 
Shade or sun 


Good for 


Border 
Bed 

Border 
Bed 

Border 
Edging 

Border 

Border 
Bed 

Rockery 
Bed 

Border 
Bed 

Bed 

Border 
Bed 

Border 


Sow 
Outdoors 


May 
June 

May 
June 

May 
June 

May 
June 

May 
June 

May 
June 

May 
June 

May 
June 

May 
June 

May 
Juno 


Sow 
Indoors 


• 

March 


Height 


2 ft. 

2 to 6 ft. 
6 to 12 in. 
12 to 15 in. 
2 to 3 ft. 

2 to 4 ft. 

1 to 2 ft. 

3 to 6 in. 

2 to 6 ft. 

6 to 18 in. 


Color 


Pink 

Lilac 

White 

White 

No blue 

All shades 

Yellow 

Pink 
White 

Blue to 
white 

Blue 


Name 


Bleeding Heart 

(Dicentra spectabilis) 

Boltonia 

(Boltonia latisquama) 

Candytuft, Hardy 
(Iberis sempervirens) 

Chrystmas Rose 
(// elleborus niger) 

Chrysanthemum, Hardy 

Columbine 
(Aguilegia) 

Coreopsis 

(Coreopsis lanceolata) 

Daisy, English 
(Bellis perennis) 

Delphinium 

(Delphinium formosum. D. 
Belladonna, D. Chinense) 

Flag, see Iris 

t Forget-me-not, Perennial 

( M yosotis palustris) 



Blooming 
Season 


July to Sept. 
July to Sept. 
June, July 

All summer, 
with care 

May, June 

All summer 

Aug., Sept. 
April, May 


Place 


Sun or 
shade 

Sun^or 
Sun 

Sun or 
half shade 

Sun or 
half shade 

Shaded 
bare spots 

Sun 

Sun 


Good for 


Border 

Poisonous 

Border 
Bed 

Border 
Bed 

Border 
Clumpy 

Trailing 
vine 

Border 
Bed 
Carpeting 
Border 


Sow 
Outdoors 


May 
June 

May 
June 

May 
June 

April j 
May 

May 
June 

May 
June 

May 
June 
May 
June 


Sow 
Indoors 


Slow to 
start 

March 

Slow 
grower 

March 

Slow 


Height 


1 to 2 ft. 
3 to 5 ft. 

1 to 3 ft. 

6 to 8 in. 

3 ft. 

G to 10 in. 

2 to 3 ft. 
2 in. 


Color 


Wliite 
Rose 

Blue to 
white 

White 
Red 

White 
Blue 
Yellow 
Purple 

White 
Hose 
Crimson 

Blue 
White 

No blue 
or yellow 

While 

Pink 
Lavender 


Name 


* Mallow, Musk 
(Malva moschata) 

Michaelmas Daisy, see Aster 

Monk's-hood 

(Aconitum napellus) 

Moss Pink, see Phlox suhuUita 

Mullein Pink 

(Lychnis coronaria) 

Myosotis, see Forget-me-not 

Myrtle, sec Periwinkle 

Pansy 

(Viola tricolor) 

Peony 

(Pceonia officinalis) 

Periwinkle 
iVinca minor) 

Phlox, Perennial 
(Phlox paniculata) 
(Phlox subulata) 



o < 
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o 



Place 


Sun 


' Sun 


Sun 


Sun 


Sun 


Sun 


Sun 


Good for 


Rockery 
Border 


Border 
Bed 


Border 
Bed 


Border 
Bed 


Border 
Clump 


Border 
Bed 


Border 
Bed 


Sow 
Outdoors 


May 
June 


April 
May 


March 
April 


May 
June 


May 
June 


May 
June 


May 1st 


Sow 
Indoors 














[arch 














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Height 






-t-i 
CO 


CO 


2 to 3 ft. 


2 to 4 ft. 


1 to 3 ft. 


Color 


White 
Varicolored 


White 
Red 
Yellow 


Scarlet 
Orange to 
pink 


White 
Rose 
Crimson 


White to 
purple 


White 
Blue 


No blues 



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d-'-^lS 



CHAPTER VI 



Flowers that Spring from a 
Storehouse (Bulbs and Tubers) 

Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: 
they toil not, neither do they spin: and yet I say 
unto you that even Solomon in all his glory was not 
arrayed like one of these. 

—Matthew vi, 28, 29. 

If you are going to be a really-truly gardener, 
you will want to know something about the plants 
and flowers that you try to grow, so let's have a 
few words right here about the difference between 
the bulb and tuber families. They can be classed 
together because they both spring from what is in 
fact a storehouse filled one season with food to 
help them through the next season's bloom i 

Hyacinths and daffodils, for example, come from 
BULBS, which are built up, layer on layer, exactly 
like an onion. 

48 



GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



Dahlias and Cannas, however, grow from a 
TUBER, which is an underground knob on the 
stem, quite a little like a sweet potato, and which 
sends out the shoots that make new plants. 

The crocus and the gladiolus both spring frdm a 
CORM, which differs from the bulb in that it is 
solid (not in layers), and from the tuber in that 
it is not like a potato in shape but oval. 

The iris, though, grows from a RHIZOME, a 
thickened root running along the ground (often 
half exposed) , which throws up the nev/ plants as 
it spreads. 

The bulb and tuber families are treated very 
much alike. Some of each are left in the ground 
year after year, like the daffodils and the lilies, 
while others, like the cannas and dahlias, have 
to be dug up, allowed to dry a little in the open air, 
and then stored in a cool, dark place for the winter. 
The rhizomes do not have to be ^ lifted,'' but are 
increased generally by root division, — cutting off 
a piece of the root soon after flowering, and plant- 
ing where it will get a good start before next sea- 
son's time to bloom. 

Some people today would follow Mohammed's 
advice: ''He that hath two cakes of bread, let him 
sell one of them— for bread is only food for the 
body, but the narcissus is food for the soul;" 

49 



GAEDEXIXa FOE LITTLE GIRLS 



but few individuals — ^let alone a nation — would 
grow so wildly enthusiastic as once did the 
Dutch, as to spend every last possession to buy 
tulips! But we dearly love all of these gi'oups. 
and are using them in increasing numbers every 
season. The fascinating work of growing certain 
kinds indoors during the winter I tell you about 
in the chapter on ''The Care of House Plants/' so 
here we will consider the outdoor culture. 

The delicate snowdrop is the very earliest of 
these visitors, and planted in groups in half-shady 
places, — like under trees, — where they will not be 
disturbed, will thereafter take care of themselves. 
Then quickly follow the lovely crocuses, white, yel- 
low, lavender, purple, and the varigated, which 
often are planted right where they fall after be- 
ing scattered broadcast over the lawn, — though if 
the head of the house cuts the grass before the mid- 
dle of April they should be set in a bed where they 
will not be touched. 

Hyacinths are beautiful, but personally I do 
not care much about them in the garden, as they 
generally have to be planted in masses to get any 
effect, and need, therefore, to be used in large num- 
bers, are more expensive than the other bulbs, and 
should be taken out of the ground soon after bloom- 
ing and stored in a cool place until fall. However, 

50 



GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



one enthusiast that I know plants in rings of 6, and 
leaves them in the ground ! 

The daffodil, jonquil and narcissus are three 
tyj^es of the narcissus family, the daffodils usually 
being distinguished by their long trumpets, while 
the jonquils and narcissi have the little cup -like 
centers, and, moreover, are fragrant. They should 
be planted in the late fall, 4 in. below the surface, 
in soil that has been enriched 8 in. below the bulb. 
They increase rapidly, and do not have to be 
taken up, or even divided for years. If set in a 
border where their room is needed after they bloom, 
simply turn the tops down under the soil, and sow 
over them any low-growing annual, such as candy- 
tuft or poppies. My friend of the tiny ^^handker- 
chief" garden described in Chapter II, has — think 
of it ! — over 1500 of these various spring-flowermg 
bulbs in her border that are treated this way, and 
never taken up ! Yet a few weeks after they have 
bloomed, the space they occupied is filled with new 
beauties. 

Tulips — ^but as I told you, they once drove a 
whole country mad ! Today we have probably far 
more beautiful ones, — and many can be bought in 
the fall at planting time, for $1.00 per hundred! 
Some bloom early, some late ; some are short, some 
tall; some are cheap, some expensive. They will 

51 



GAKDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



grow in partial shade or sun, and can be planted 
in groups in the border, or in marginal rows for 
edging. By carefully choosing from both the early 
and late varieties, you can enjoy your tulips for 
nearly two months; and by as carefully choosing 
your colors, have all sorts of artistic combinations. 
They should be planted 3 or 4 in. deep if the 
soil is heavy, and an inch deeper in soil that is 
light, and set 6 in. apart. They will prove a joy 
to your heart. 

Tuberous-rooted begonias supply a much-felt 
want for lovely flowers in half-shady or shady 
places. If the bulbs are started in the house in 
sand in February, they will be in full leaf when 
ready to set out in May, and will bloom from June 
until frost. Don't, please don't, plant them up- 
side down, but be sure that the rounded part rests 
on the soil. They require light, rich earth, with 
plenty of water, given after sundown. 

Cannas only too often are planted in big, showy 
beds where they break our rule of ''open lawn cen- 
ters. ' ' In fact, they are a little hard to place, but 
look well in a corner, in beds along a drive, or 
outlining a boundary. The ground should be 
spaded 2 ft. deep, well fertilized, and then kept 
watered. Set plants 2 ft. apart. 

The iris is one of the most beautiful and most 
52 



GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



satisfactory of all the hardy plants. It grows in 
almost any soil, and any situation, but does best 
in rich ground, with plenty of water. It may be 
planted either in early spring or after August. 
The dwarf varieties, from 6 to 18 in. high, bloom 
during March, April and May; the German iris, 
standing often 3 ft. high, in May; and the mar- 
velous Japanese kinds, sometimes 4 ft., with blos- 
soms 8 to 10 in. across, closing the season in July! 
(In heavy soil they are not so tall.) When used 
alone in beds, one prominent grower suggests that 
the German iris be combined with hardy asters (set 
in between), and the Japanese with gladioli, to 
keep a succession of bloom until late fall. 

Lilies for the garden are of many varieties, re- 
quiring different kinds of treatment. As a general 
rule, however, when the soil is heavy, set your bulb 
in a nice little nest of sand, and give a blanket of 
the same before filling in with the ordinary earth. 

Lilies-of-the-valley will grow almost anywhere, 
but do well in a half -shady position. They should 
be planted in masses, and fertilized in September. 
When too thick, they can be transplanted in the 
early spring. They increase rapidly. 

The gladiolus (accent on the i, please,) can get 
along in almost any kind of soil, — though it does 
best in rich, — if only it is planted in the sunshine. 

53 



GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



The ground should be well dug up and fertilized 
beforehand and around New York the corms set as 
early as April. Then, for succession of bloom, 
plant at least every 10 days up to July 1st. After 
they are well started, fertilize with (preferably) 
sheep manure, dug in around the roots, every two 
weeks. Cultivate often, and keep well watered. 
Plant gladioli at least 4 in. apart, and 4 in. deep, 
and tie up for protection to 4-ft. stakes. Lift 
your bulbs, — ^corms, I should have said, — late in 
the fall, let them dry in the air a few days, and 
then store in a cool, dark place, free from frost. 

Narcissi are described with the daffodils. 

Peonies are classed with the Perennials, in Chap- 
ter III. Their tuberous roots are best divided and 
set out in September. They can be left undisturbed 
for five or six years. 

Tuberoses can now be procured which will bloom 
from May until frost. They are easily grown, with 
no particular care, and tate up very little room. 
Stake for safety from storms. 

The dahlia next,— saved until the last for all the 
space I could possibly give it ! And so popular is 
this flower today, that some growers raise nothing 
else!! One man offers us over 700 named varie- 
ties ! ! ! Moreover, a great big club, known as 
The American Dahlia Society, has been formed by 

54 



GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



people who are interested in — and wish to help 
along — ^the growing of dahlias. 

And it's no wonder that they are popular, for no 
other flower can be grown in the garden that will 
give as many, as large, as vari-colored and as beau- 
tiful flowers as the dahlias. Coining in every shade 
but true blue, and ranging from the tiny button 
pom-pon to the largest prim show or the formal 
decorative, — from the unique collarette to the 
ragged pseony-flowered, the amateur gardener can 
hardly believe that they really all belong to one 
family ! 

Of such easy culture, too. Anybody can grow 
them! Any good, well-drained garden soil will 
do, but must have manure spaded in 10 in. deep 
and the tubers must be planted in the sun. The 
poorer the ground, though, the more fertilizer will 
you have to use. Heavy soil should be dug up and 
mixed with ashes to make it light. Plant the tub- 
ers lengthwise — not up and down! — in a drill at 
least 6 in. deep, and not less than 2% ft. apart. 

For early flowering, put in your bulbs as soon as 
all danger of frost is past, but do not set near trees 
or shrubs that would take their nourishment. 
When they sprout, pull up all shoots but one or 
two, in order to produce the finest flowers. Keep 
the ground well cultivated, but do not water until 

55 



GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



after the buds have formed, otherwise you will 
have principally stalks and leaves. But once the 
buds do show, water frequently in order to enrich 
the color, and dig in fertilizer around the roots sev- 
eral times during the flowering season, to produce 
flne, big blossoms. 

Tie each plant to a 5-ft. stake, to protect from, 
the wind, but in driving be careful not to pierce — 
and ruin — your tuber. Nip off all the buds that are 
imperfect or weak, and cut your flowei^ with their 
attendant buds and foliage. They will look bet- 
ter, and no further disbudding of the plants will be 
necessary. And the more you cut, the better your 
dahlias will bloom ! 

Soon after frost has killed the leaves, carefully 
dig up the tubers with a spading fork. You will 
be surprised to find often half-a-dozen where you 
set but one! Allow them to dry in the air for a 
day or two, then put away in a cool, dark cellar, 
with a bag or paper thrown over them, and leave 
for the winter. In the spring when ready to plant 
again, cut each tuber so it will have a little bit of 
the heart of the clump on its end, as it is close to 
this that the new shoots start. 

Growing dahlias from seed is a most fascinating 
pastime, for there is no telling what you may get! 
The child is rarely, if ever, like its mother, — and 

56 



TAKING carp: of TABLE FERXS 



f 



GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 

this is the only way that we get the new varieties. 
YOU might happen to grow one of the finest yet! 
The seed is started early indoors, and very easily 
grown. Certainly it is worth trying. 



57 



CHAPTER VII 

That Oueen~The Rose 

Gather ye rosebuds while ye may, 

Old Time is still a-flying, 
And this same flower that smiles today 

Tomorrow will be dying. 

— Herrick. 

Every one longs for roses, the most highly prized 
of all the flowers; and roses today can be grown 
almost anywhere. 

Eose growers have finally succeeded in budding 
the tender tea rose on to the hardy briar and also 
on to the more recent Manetti stock, and in cross- 
ing the teas with the hybrid perpetuals, — developed 
from the old June favorites. The result is ideal 
roses, that are hardy and bloom all season, with the 
desired lovely coloring and fragrance. 

Many of the so-called June roses also have been 
58 



GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



coaxed to bloom all season, while all those that I 
draw to your attention are among the loveliest and 
most easily grown. With even three or four, well 
taken care of, you should be able, — as far north as 
New York, — to cut a bud any time you wish from 
May to November. 

These hybrid teas and hybrid perpetuals are the 
most satisfactory for growing in this climate. 
Field-grown stock, in dormant condition, is brought 
here from Holland every spring early in March, 
and good plants can be bought as low as fifteen or 
twenty cents apiece. The weather is usually fit for 
them to be set out by the 25th of March, and they 
will produce more and better roses than the costlier 
potted plants procurable later. The American 
grown roses, however, are really the best, as they 
are adapted to our soil and climatic conditions, and 
produce both more and better flowers. 

Of these potted plants, though, just a word. The 
Richmond, a deep, rich red, and the single white 
Killarney, I have found exceptionally good, free 
bloomers; and with little winter covering they 
should, on account of a season's rest, be better the 
second year. The 6-inch or ' ' bench plants, ' ' as they 
are termed, sell for only 25 cents each. These can 
be set out from April on all summer. 

As soon as a rose bush comes into your hand, 
59 



GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



whether from a dealer or a friend, get it into the 
ground as quickly as possible. If its permanent 
home is not ready, dig a little trench and cover it 
entirely with the moist earth for a few days. But 
never, oh, never ! allow the roots to dry out. 

While a few specimen roses may be set out any- 
where (as long as they do not cut up the lawn and 
so violate the landscape rule, ''Preserve open lawn 
centers") J a number of rose bushes are usually pre- 
ferred set together in a bed, from 3 to 4 ft. wide. 

MAKING A ROSE BED 

Have your rose bed with a south or east ex- 
posure if possible, as many roses so planted will 
not ''winter kill," and others need but little pro- 
tection. Dig a trench about 21/2 ft. deep, and put 
in the bottom a layer of cow manure, as this will 
be lasting. Over this put a layer of good top soil 
for the plants to rest on, so that they do not di- 
rectly touch the fertilizer. Then hold your rose 
with your left hand while you straighten ouf the 
roots, and sprinkle enough fine soil to hold it in 
position while you set the next bush. Be sure that 
your budding point is 3 inches below the level 
of the ground, — and Baily says even 4 ! When all 
are in place, fill the trench half full of soil, and then 

60 



GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



nearly to the top with water. After this has sunk 
in, add the rest of your rich top soil, and pack 
down hard with your foot, so as to shut out the air 
from the roots, leaving the packed earth at least 
an inch below the surrounding surface to catch 
and hold the moisture. 

Potted roses, however, should be sunk with as lit- 
tle disturbance to the roots as possible. 

Then over the smoothly raked surface of the 
bed spread leaves, litter or grass clippings, to 
keep the sun from drying out the earth. Some 
gardeners for this purpose cover the bed with pan- 
sies, English daisies, and similar low flowers, though 
many like better to see nicely cultivated soil. 

To have splendid roses, however, you must sup- 
ply plenty of food and drink! "When the buds 
start, dig in around the roots every two weeks, two 
tablespoonfuls of bonemeal, and wet thoroughly. 
Manure from the chicken house is especially good 
as the chickens are meat eaters, and it is, there- 
fore, better adapted to the needs of the roses and 
easily absorbed by the rootlets. But use carefully — 
not more than a small trowelful at a timic, and that 
well mixed with the soil. One of the very best foods 
is cheaply made as follows : 



61 



GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



ROSE FERTILIZER 

10 lbs. sheep manure Llix well. Give a level 
5 lbs. bonemeal, trowelful to roots of 

1 lb. Scotch soot. each rosebush every two 

weeks, after buds start, 
and wet do^vn thorough- 

ly. 

Being hearty feeders, roses need a rich, light 
soil, and they do best in an open, sunny spot, away 
from the roots of trees and shrubs that would steal 
their food. 

And while they do not thrive in low, damp 
ground, neither do they stand being set ''high and 
dry.'' Too damp beds should be drained with a 
first layer of small stones or gravel. 

Cultivate your roses every week or ten days, and 
keep the ground covered with grass clippings unless 
it is protected from the sun by the shade of other 
plants. Cut off close to the parent stem any wild 
shoots or ''suckers," — generally recognizable by 
their briary stems, — as they will cause the budded 
part to die. 

FALL PROTECTION 

Late in the fall mound up the earth well around 
the roots of all youv roses, and give them a good 

63 



GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



covering of coarse manure or leaves. The more 
tender kinds can be laid over and protected with 
litter or boughs. 

SPRING PRUNING 

Then early in the spring, before the first of 
April, cut back the hardy roses, keeping only the 
strong canes, which, however, should be shortened 
to about 10 inches. The middle of April prune the 
more tender varieties. But remove from both all 
shoots growing in toward the center, and cut all 
weak plants back to the third or fourth eye, to 
promote stronger growth and larger flowers. 
Climbing roses need only the weak branches and 
tips removed. 

Date new climbing canes with wired wooden tags 
each spring, and cut out all over three years old. 
This renews the stock, restrains ambitions climbing, 
and produces better flowers. 

SPRAYING 

About this time a spraying first of Bordeaux 
mixture to prevent disease, and a little later a 
spraying of whale-oil soapsuds as warning to the 
great army of bugs, slugs, etc., will give your roses 

63 



GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



a good start toward a successful season of bloom. 

"Watch for that robber, the rose bug! Talk 
about salt on a bird's tail! The surest way to 
end His Majesty is to take a stick and knock 
him into a cup of kerosene. Slow process? 
Yes, but sure. The leaf-roller, too, is most 
effectively disposed of by physical force, — pressure 
of thumb and forefinger. Clear, cold water, twice 
a day through a hose, comes with force enough to 
wash off many of the rose's foes; but if they get 
a start, fall back on strong soapsuds, pulverized 
tobacco, or some other popular remedy. 

The Garden Club of Philadelphia is said to rec- 
ommend the following : 

EFFECTIVE SPRAY FOR ROSE BUGS 

3 pts. sweet milk. 
3 pts. kerosene. 
1 qt. water* 

Shake well in a jug, then put one-half pint of 
the fluid to one gallon of water. Stir well and both 
spray the bushes thoroughly and wet the ground 
around the roots. Repeat every ten days from May 
1st to June 15th, by which time the pests seem to 
get discouraged and give up the fight ! 

And the reward for all this care and attention! 
64 



GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



^'A devoted cottager/' says Neltje Blanchan, ^*may 
easily have more beautiful roses than the indifferent 
millionaire." 

The following lists comprise a few of the best of 
the different classes mentioned. I wish you suc- 
cess in your choice. 



ROSES 



A FEW OP THE BEST OF EACH KIND 

Teas. (Tenderest of roses, needing winter protec- 
tion. Noted for delicate shades and fra- 
grance.) 

Maman Cochet, free bloomer, hardiest of the teas ; 
rose-pink. 

Marie Van Houtte, also a free bloomer and quite 
hardy ; canary yellow. 

Souvenir de Catherine Guillot, a rose of excel- 
lence ; copper-carmine. 

White Maman Cochet, a strong grower, like the 
pink; white. 

Hybrid Teas. (Best for the garden, as they com- 
bine the best qualities of the teas and the hy- 
brid perpetuals, — color, hardiness, and steady 
bloom.) 

Caroline Testout, one of the most popular, 
slightly fragrant; rose pink. 

Etoile de France, continuous bloomer and fra- 
grant; crimson. 

65 



GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



Grass an Teplitz, the best dark rose, and fra- 
grant ; velvety crimson. 

Kaiserin Augusta Victoria, blooms of lovely 
shape, on long stems ; pearly white. 

Killarney, very popular and one of the best of 
its color ; lovely pink. 

Killarney, a sport," same as the pink; white. 

La France, especially good form, fragrant; 
bluish-pink. 

Mrs. Aaron Ward, a vigorous plant, of compact 

growth, very popular ; pinkish-yellow. 
Richmond, a steady bloomer all summer, with a 

beautiful bud ; rich deep red. 
Hybrid Perpetuals. (Commonly known as June 

roses, and hardy. The following will bloom 

most of the summer.) 
Anna de Diesbach (Gloire de Paris), splendid 

in the garden and fragrant; rich carmine. 
American Beauty, successful in most localities; 

rose-carmine. 
Frau Karl Druschki, very large and fragrant; 

snowy white. 
General Jacqueminot, a favorite that does well 

everywhere; crimson. 
Louis van Houtte, very desirable and fragrant; 

deep red. 

Mrs. John Laing, late blooming and hardy, fra- 
grant ; lovely pink. 

Mrs. R. G. Sharman-Crawford, a splendid 
bloomer; rose-pink. 

Ulrich Brunner, large, fragrant, with well- 
formed flowers ; cherry red. 
Moss. (Loved for the beautiful fragrant buds with 
their mossy covering.) 

Blanche Moreau, flowers in clusters ; white. 
66 



GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



Countess de Mnrinais, one of the best ; white. 
Crested Moss, finely crested ; rose pink. 
Henry Martin, very vigorous; crimson. 
Luxembourg, exceptionally good; crimson. 
Climbing and Rambler. (Used over walls, fences, 

pillars, arbors and trellises.) 
Baby ramblers, 18 in. to 24 in, high, are good for 

hedges, beds, or carpeting, and can be bought 

in white, pink, salmon pink, red and yellow. 
Climbing American Beauty, well worth growing; 

rose-pink. 

Dorothy Perkins, a profuse bloomer and rapid 
grower; shell-pink. 

Crimson Rambler, first of the ramblers, but dis- 
liked by many gardeners today; crimson. 

Dr. Van Fleet, one of the best, resisting mildew 
and insects, — a gem ; flesh-pink. 

Excelsa, an improvement on the formerly popu- 
lar crimson rambler; crimson. 

Hiawatha, most brilliant of all, between 40 and 
50 roses to the spray ; carmine. 

Tausendschoen, roses 3 in. across, graceful in 
form, and 10 or 15 to the truss ; pink. 

White Dorothy, like satisfactory Dorothy Perk- 
ins, except for color ; white. 

Yellow Ram-.bler, new variety called Aviator 
Bleriot," the first hardy yellow; yellow. 
Briar, Austrian and Hybrids. (Loved by our 
grandmothers, and some known here in this 
country as far back as 1596. They must not 
be crowded.) 

Austrian Copper, beautiful single reddish-cop- 
per and one of the oldest ; copper. 

Austrian Yellow, lovely single flowers (intro- 
duced late in 1500) ; deep yellow. 
67 



GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



English Sweet Briar, or Eglantine, loved for 

its fragrance, also single ; pink. 
Anne of Gerstein, very graceful; dark crimson. 
Brenda, very dainty ; peach. 
Refulgence, fragrant foliage, — deepens in color 

on developing; scarlet to crimson. 

AMERICAN GROWN ROSES 

The American grown rose, however, I find is con- 
sidered by many people to be by far the best. 
While its slender brown stems are not as at- 
tractive to the ignorant gardener as the thick, green 
of the imported, it is much more adapted to our 
soil and climatic conditions. It is cheaper, too, and 
splendid varieties, in 2i/2-in. and 3-in. pots, can be 
bought as low as $5.00 or $6.00 a hundred from ex- 
pert growers, by the person willing to start a rose 
garden and then wait a year for really fine results. 

In lots of fifteen, however, many of these fine 
varieties of one-year-old plants can be bought for 
$1.00, with the growers' guarantee that *^they will 
bloom the first and each succeeding year, from early- 
spring until severe frost. ' ' The plants are small, of 
course, but who could ask for more at that price! 

The (probably) best informed man in the Eastern 
United States recommends the follomng list of 
Teas and Hybrid Teas, — and it has been adopted 

68 



GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



by a number of firms as suggestions for planting. 
Don't go looking for these plants at the 5- and 10- 
cent stores, for they never carry such specialties. 
They are cheap, though, and well known through- 
out this section, but they should be procured from 
people WHO MAKE A BUSINESS OF GROW- 
ING ROSES! 

A SPECIALIST'S LIST OF TEAS AND 
HYBRID TEAS 

White 

Grossherzogin Alexandra 
Kaiserin Augusta Victoria 
Marie Guillot 
White Bougere 

Yellow 
Blumenschmidt 
Etoile de Lyon 
Lady Hillingdon 
Sunburst 

Light Pink 
Col. R. S. Williamson 
Helen Good 
Mrs. Foley Hobbs 
Souvenir du President Carnot 
Wm. R. Smith 
Yvonne Vacherot 



69 



GAEDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



Dark Pink 

Aurora 
F. R. Patger 
Jonkheer J. L. Mock 
Lady Alice Stanley 
Maman Cochet 
Mme. Jules Grolez 
Mrs. George Shawyer 
Radiance 

Red 
Crimson Queen 
Etoile de France 
Mme. Eugene Marlitt 
General McArthur 
Helen Gould 
Laurent Carle 
Rhea Reid 



70 



CHAPTER VIII 



Vines, Tender and Hardy 

They shall sit every man under his vine and 
under his figtree. 

— MicdJi iv, 4. 

Everybody likes a pretty vine, and there is sure 
to be some place where you will want to plant at 
least one. Where? Why, at one corner of the 
porch where you like to play; round the pillar at 
the front door, where you read, or by the window 
where you sit to sew ; in the backyard to cover the 
clothespoles, hide the chicken fence, or screen some 
old, ugly building. 

The common annual vines you probably know 
pretty well, — the climbing nasturtium, morning 
glory, moonflower, cypress vine, scarlet runner, 
hyacinth bean, wild cucumber, gourds and hops. 
They are treated very much alike, grow with little 

71 



GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



care if they only have something to climb on, and 
spread rapidly. 

The hardy vines are not so easily disposed of. 
For instance, the clematis (with accent on the 
elegit,) numbers thronghout the world about one 
hundred and fifty species, — generally climbers, — in 
white, blue, purple, red and yellow, and ranges from 
the 2-ft. shrubby kind to the 25-ft. vine. "While our 
common mountain clematis (Montana grandiflora) 
flowers as early as April, the Jaclonani in mid-sum- 
mer, and the Paniculata often as late as September, 
the Henryi is seen even in November. And while 
some can be grown from seed, the rest have to be 
propagated by cutting or grafting. 



WARNING 

Right here let me again urge you to make sure of 
the particular kind of flower, plant or vine that you 
get, so that you will know how to treat it, and not 
count on flowers in June from a variety that blos- 
soms in September, or expect purple posies from 
the white sort. The gentleman printing this book 
will not let me take space enough to go into de- 
tails about every thing I mention (he says paper 

72 



GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



is too dear!) so the only way out of the difficulty 
is for me to make the lists include all the colors, 
all the heights, all the months of bloom, and then 
impress on YOU the necessity of ascertaining the 
particular kind you want to grow. 

BOOKS THAT WILL HELP 

As the people you would ask might make a mis- 
take about these things, get in the habit of look- 
ing them up for yourself. Go to the Public Li- 
brary and just see the fascinating books that have 
been written about plants and flowers, — many for 
children and in the form of stories. For real facts, 
though, given in few words and easily found from, 
a complete index in the back, ask for ^^The Amer- 
ican Flower Garden," by Neltje Blanchan, or ^'The 
Garden Month by Month," by Mabel Cabot Sedg- 
wick. This latter gives a little description of all 
the Jiardy plants and flowers, and is filled with 
beautiful pictures. And some of the big seed deal- 
ers and nurserymen get out fine catalogues that 
are really garden books in themselves, chock full 
of information accompanied by colored illustra- 
tions, which can be had for the asking ! 



73 



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Season 


July, Aug. 

July to Oct. 
July to frost 
July to Sept. 

July, Aug. 


Place 


2 dad d 

CO m m m m 


Good for 


Rapid 
growing 

Screens and 
trellises 

Screens 

Train on 
brush or 
chicken- 
wire 

Screens or 
coverings 


Sow 
Outdoors 


May 

May 

April 
May 

March 
May 1st 


Sow 
Indoors 




Height j 


10 to 20 ft. 

G to 12 ft. 
10 to 12 ft. 
3 to 6 ft. 

12 to 15 ft. 


Color 


White 

Pink 
Purple 

Blue 

Yellows to 
reds 

Scarlet 
All colors 

White 


Name 


Morning Glory 

(/pomcea purpurea) 

Nasturtium, Tall 
{Tropoiolum majus) 

Scarlet Runner 

(Phaseolus multijlorus) 

Sweet Pea 

{Lathyrus odoratus) 

Wild Cucumber 

(I'Jchinocystis) 



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Season 


August 

Late summer 
August 


Place 


Sun or 
shade 

Shade- 
loving 

Dun 

Sun 
Sun 


Good for 


Covers walls 
or trees 

Wall covering 
Thick screen 

Ornament 
and use 

Trellis or 
rough places 


Start 
Outdoors 


Prpcure 
plants 

Procure 
plants 

Early spring 

Procure 
roots 

Plant tuber or 

seed 


Height 


Spreads 
rapidly 

Xvi ill, Ij irsD 

year from 
seed 

Shrubby 
6 to 8 ft. 


Color 


Evergreen 
xvosy -p urpic 

Purplish 

Red 
White 


Name 


Ivy, Boston or Japan 
(Ampelopsis or Veitchii) 

Ivy, Enghsh 
(Hedera helix) 

Kudzu Vine, Japanese 
(Pueraria Thunbergiana) 

Matrimony Vine 
(Lycium barbaum) 

Pea, Everlasting 
(Lathyrus latifolius) 



CHAPTER IX 



Shrubs We Love to See 

' ' Every yard shonld be a picture. The observer 
should catch the entire effect and purpose, without 
analyzing its parts. 

— Bailey, 

Of course you want to know something about 
shrubs. For what? Possibly just to make a tiny 
hedge around your garden, or a taller one to shut 
out the view of some neighbor's untidy backyard. 
More likely for a lovely specimen plant for your 
own grounds. In that case, don't, oh, don't! set it 
out in the middle of the lawn ! And two or fhree 
thus dotted around (in '^spotty planting, so 
called) are the acme of bad taste, and violate the 
fundamental principles of landscape gardening. 

Our grandmothers all loved the tall syringa, 
honeysuckle, snowball, strawberry shrub, weigela, 

78 



GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



rose of Sharon and lilac, while they hedged both 
their yards and gardens with box, privet and ever- 
greens. Today we use a good deal of the Japanese 
barberry, while Uncle Sam's recent free distribu- 
tion has widely introduced that pretty little annual 
bush-like plant— the kochia, or summer cj^press, 
good for low hedges. 

But there is that publisher cutting off my space 
again ! So I can just add a word about the lovely 
new summer lilac or buddleia , A tiny plant of this, 
costing only 25 cents, grows into a nice four-foot 
bush the first summer, and blooms until late in the 
season. 

Most of these shrubs can be easily grown from 
cuttings, however, so just ask your friends to re- 
member you when they do their pruning. 



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CHAPTER X 



Vegetable Growing for the 
Home Table 

The life of the husbandman, — a life fed by the 
bounty of earth, and sweetened by the airs of 
heaven. 

— J err old. 

It is predicted that this year, — 1917, — will be 
the greatest year for gardening that the country 
ever has known ! 

The high cost of living first stimulated interest. 
Then after war was declared, the slogan, ^ ' Food as 
important as men or munitions,'' stirred young and 
old. Garden clubs sprang up everywhere, and in 
free lectures people were instructed how to pre- 
pare, plant and cultivate whatever ground they 
could get, from small backyards to vacant lots. 

In our neighborhood last year a man with a plot 
of ground less than half the size of a tennis court, 

82 



GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



grew $50.00 worth of vegetables, — enough to sup- 
ply his whole family! He got his planting down 
to a science, however, — what he called intensive 
gardening, ' ' so that every foot of the soil was kept 
busy the whole summer. He fertilized but once, 
too, at the beginning of the season, when he had 
a quantity of manure thoroughly worked in. Then 
between slow growing crops, planted in rows as 
closely as possible, he planted the quick-growing 
things, which would be out of the way before their 
space was needed. 

Incidentally he worked out a chart (which he 
afterwards put on the market) , ruled one way for 
the months, and the other for the number of feet, 
with name cards for the vegetables that could be 
fitted in so as to visualize — and make a record of 
the entire garden the entire season. Such a plan 
means a great saving of both time and space. 

Garden soil must be warm, light and rich. It 
must be well spaded to begin with, well fertilized, 
well raked over, and kept well cultivated. Vege- 
tables require plenty of moisture, and during dry 
weather especially must be thoroughly watered. As 
I have said before, simply wetting the surface of 
the ground is almost useless, and often, by causing 
the ground then to cake over the top as it dries, 
worse than none at all, if the soil were cultivated 

83 



GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



instead. Pests must be watched for on all the crops, 
and treated according to the special needs of each 
variety when whale-oil, soapsuds, tobacco dust or 
insect powder seem ineffective. Then with weed- 
ing, and reasonable care, you can safely expect to 
keep your table supplied with that greatest of all 
luxuries, — your own green vegetables, fresh from 
the soil. 

VEGETABLE GUIDE 

Beans. Bush 

Plant from early May on, every two weeks, for 
succession of crops. Drop beans 3 in. apart, in 
2-in. deep drills, allowing 2 ft. between rows. Hoe 
often, drawing the earth up towards the roots. Be 
sure that the ground is warm and dry before plant- 
ing, however, or the beans will rot. 

Beans. Pole 

Set stakes 5 to 8 feet high, in rows 3 ft. apart 
each way; or plant in drills to grow on a trellis. 
Put four or five beans around each stake, and when 
well started, thin out the poorest, leaving but three 
at each pole. A cheap trellis is made by stretching 
two wires (one near the ground and the other six 
feet above), and connecting them with stout twine 
for the vines to run on. 

84 



GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



Beans. Lima 

As these are more tender, they should be planted 
a couple of weeks later than other beans. They 
need especially good, rich soil, with plenty of 
humus or the fine soft earth that is full of decayed 
vegetable matter. Allow each plant 6 in. in the 
row, and make rows 2 ft. apart. Give a good dose 
of fertilizer about the time they start, and keep 
well cultivated. Beans are among the easiest of all 
vegetables to grow, and as they can be dried for 
winter use, are especially valuable. 

Beets. 

Any well-tilled, good garden soil will produce 
nice beets. Make drills or rows 18 in. apart, and 
plant the seed about 1 in. deep if earth is light and 
sandy, but only half an inch if heavy and sticky, 
as early as the ground can be put in condition. 
Cultivate often, and thin out the plants to about 
3 in. apart. Sow at intervals of two or three weeks 
for successive crops up to the middle of July. An 
extra early lot can be had by starting seed in the 
house in boxes in February or March, and then 
setting the young plants out at time of first outdoor 
planting. 



85 



GAEDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



Cabbage. 

For early crop, start seed indoors in February or 
Marcli and transplant, when four leaves appear, to 
another seed box until you can plant in open 
ground in May. For later crop sow seeds in rows 
in open ground during April and May, and trans- 
plant during July and August, to 20 in. apart, in 
rows 3 ft. apart. Cultivate often, to keep moisture 
in the soil. Prepare to fight pests, early and late. 
After the seventy or more remedies suggested by 
one authority, for maggots alone, the amateur 
might feel like abandoning cabbage, but at the price 
this moment of $160.00 a ton, wholesale, in New 
York City, a person with even a handkerchief bed 
feels like attempting this luxury. 

Carrots. 

Hardy and easily grown, they can be sown in 
rows that are 12 in. apart, and thinned out to 3 in. 
apart in the row. They can be started as early as 
April, and sown for succession up to the middle of 
July. Cultivate often. 

Cauliflower. 

Treat like cabbage, except that you must start as 
early as possible, to get ahead of the hot weather, 
and give the plants plenty of water. When the 

86 



GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



heads are well-formed and firm, bring the outside 
leaves up and tie together, to shut out the sun and 
keep the heads \Yhite and tender. And don't for- 
get, — plenty of water ! 

Celery, 

Seed for an early crop can be started in Feb- 
ruary, in a shallow box in a sunny window, then 
transplanted to another box, pinching off the tall 
leaves. In May or June dig a shallow trench in 
good rich soil, and set plants, 6 in. apart at bot- 
tom. Fill up the trench as the plants grow, to 
within a few inches of the tip leaves, in order to 
bleach out v/hite. Set up boards against the rows 
to exclude light, or cover in the easiest way. For 
winter keeping, take up plants with roots and 
place on damp soil in boxes in a cool, dark cellar. 

Cliicory Witloof — or Frencli Endive, 

Often seventy-five cents a pound in the market, 
but easily grown by the amateur. Seed is sold 
under name of Witloof chicory, and should be sown 
in open ground, during May or June, in rows a foot 
apart. Allow to grow until November, cultivating 
and keeping moist. Then dig up roots, — long, thick 
tubers, — trim down tops to within IY2 cut 
off bottom of root so that whole plant will be less 

87 



GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



than a foot long. Place upright in separate pots 
or a long box in a cool cellar, fill up to within a 
couple of inches from tops of roots, and cover each 
top with an inverted pot or box, to exclude the 
light. J\Iake thoroughly damp and never allow to 
dry out. In about four weeks the new tops can be 
cut for the table, and by covering and keeping wet, 
often three or four successive crops can be secured. 
A friend of mine keeps two families supplied most 
of the winter, at little cost or trouble. A delicious 
salad. 

Corn. Siveet 

Plant early and then every two weeks for suc- 
cession, in good rich soil, dropping the seed 10 in. 
apart in rows 3 ft. apart (for hand cultivation). 
Start early in May, and hoe often. Golden Ban- 
tam, Evergreen and Country Gentleman are espe- 
cial favorites. 

Cucimlers. 

Plant as soon as weather is settled, and warm, 
(early in May around New York,) in hills at least 
4 ft. each way. Give good rich soil, and keep 
moist. Leave only two or three plants to a hill, 
and do not allow cucumbers to ripen on vines. 
Plant for succession. The Japanese climbing va- 

88 



GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



riety runs up a pole or trellis, is free from blight, 
and produces especially fine, big cucumbers. 

Endive. See Chicory 

Lettuce 

Can be started in boxes indoors, in March. 
Make sowing in the open ground from April to 
November, if you protect the first and last. Put in 
nice, rich soil, in warm spot, and transplant when 
big enough to handle, into rows, setting 5 in. apart. 
Don't forget to weed! 

Melons. 

Muskmelons are most easily grown, but both the 
weather and the ground must be warm. Give them 
a light, rich soil, — which, if you haven't, you must 
make by mixing the heavy soil with old manure. 
Make hills 6 ft. apart, putting a few shovelfuls of 
fertilizer in each, and planting about a dozen seeds 
to a hill. After well started, and when most of the 
pests have had their fill and disappeared, thin out 
so as to leave only four or five of the strongest 
vines to each hill. Spray repeatedly with some 
good mixture. 



89 



GAEDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



Watermelons, 

These take up so mnch room that not many peo- 
ple try to grow them. The culture, however, is 
about the same as for muskmelons, only make hills 
8 to 10 ft. apart. 

Onions. 

Plant seed in fine, rich, well-prepared soil, as 
early as possible, in shallow drills, 12 in. apart. 
Firm down with the back of your spade, and when 
well started, thin out to 3 in. apart in the rows. 
Hoe often without covering the bulbs, and water 
freely. 

Parsley^ 

This requires a rich, mellow soil. Sow early in 
April, in rows 1 ft. apart, after soaking the seed a 
few hours in warm water to make it come up more 
quickly. Plant seed i^- deep, and thin out the 
little plants to 5 in. apart in the drills. 

Parsnips. 

Sow as early as you can in well-prepared ground, 
1^ in. deep, in rows 1 ft. apart. When well started, 
thin out to 6 in. apart in the row. Parsnips are 
improved by being left in the ground over winter, 
for spring use. 

90 



I 



GAEDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



Peas. 

The early smooth varieties are the first seeds to 
put into the garden, though the wrinkled are a 
better quality. Dig furrows 2 in. deep in earliest 
spring, but when w^eather is warm, 4 in. deep ; and 
3 ft. apart. Select the kind of peas desired, scatter 
in the rows, and cover with a hoe. They need good 
soil, plenty of cultivation, and the tall sorts should 
be given brush for support. Sow several times for 
succession. Early crop may be hurried by first 
soaking the seed. 

Potatoes, 

Selling as they are today (February, 1917), for 
10 cents a pound, one is strongly tempted to turn 
the flower garden into a potato patch! The early 
varieties need especially rich soil. Drop a couple of 
pieces about every foot, in 3 to 4 in. deep drills 
that are 3 ft. apart. Cultivate often, and fight the 
vast army of potato bugs with Paris green, or Bor- 
deaux mixture. 

RadisJies. 

A light, rich, sandy soil will grow the early kinds 
in from four to six weeks. Sow in drills a foot 
apart (scatteringly, so as not to require thinning,) 
every two weeks, keep free from weeds, and water 
in dry weather. Start outdoors in early April. 

91 



GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



SpinacTi. 

Sow in early spring in drills made % in. deep, 
and 1 ft. apart, as early as the ground can be 
worked. Thereafter, every two weeks for succes- 
sion. Good rich soil is necessary. 

SquasJi. 

Be sure of rich, warm soil. Plant in well-ferti- 
lized hills, like melons or cucumbers, at least 4 or 
5 ft. apart. Sow eight to ten seeds to a hill, and 
after the insects have had their feast, keep only 
three or four of the vines that are strongest. To 
repress the ardor of the squash vine borer, scatter 
a handful of tobacco dust around each plant. 

Tomatoes. 

Most easily started by getting the young plants 
grown under glass, and setting out in the open 
ground in May. Put 4 ft. apart, in rich, mellow 
soil, and water freely. Seed can be started, how- 
ever, in the house, in March, then the seedlings 
transplanted into old berry-boxes or flowerpots, 
and allowed to grow slowly until about May 15th 
(around New York), when they can be set in the 
open ground. Plants are attractive when tied to 
stakes or a trellis, and produce earlier, better and 

92 



GARDENING FOE LITTLE GIRLS 



higher grade tomatoes, without the musty taste of 
those that are allowed to sprawl over the ground. 

Turnips. 

Sow early in the open ground, in drills 15 in. 
apart, and thin out to 6 in. apart in the row. Up 
to June, sow every two weeks for succession. 



93 



CHAPTER XI 

Your Garden's Friends and 
Foes 

A cow is a very good animal in the field ; but we 
turn her out of a garden. 

— J olinson. 

Your garden's friends and foes, — have you ever 
thought about them as such? You go to a lot of 
trouble to raise fine flowers and vegetables, and 
then, if you are not on the lookout, before you know 
it something has happened! Your rose leaves are 
discovered full of holes, and your potato vines al- 
most destroyed; your tomato plants are being 
eaten up by the big, ugly '^tomato worm,'' while 
your choicest flowers are dying from the inroads of 
green or brown insects so tiny that at first you do 
not notice them ; and strong plants of all kinds are 
found cut off close to the ground. What further 
proof do you need that your beloved garden has its 
enemies ? 

94 



GAEDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



Here indeed Eternal vigilance is the price of 
liberty. If you would be free and escape such 
ravages, you can not wait until your foes are full- 
fledged and hard at work, because usually consid- 
erable damage has then been done. Instead, you 
should learn at the time you begin gardening all 
about the many difficulties you have to contend 
with, including the various things that prey upon 
your plants. 

When you plant seed, for instance, and it fails 
to come up, you are apt to blame either the dealer 
or the weather man. Just as likely as not, though, 
some insect had attacked the seed before it was 
planted, or else the grubs got busy and enjoyed a 
full meal. These pests, vnth their various relations, 
are the most difficult of all to control, but pois- 
oned bait (freshly cut clover that has been sprayed 
with Paris green,) scattered on the ground where 
cut worms come out at night to feed, will destroy 
many of them. When your plants have begun to 
grow, however, and you find them being nipped 
off close to the ground, dig close to the stem and 
you will probably bring to light a cut worm curled 
up in his favorite position, and you can end him 
then and there from doing further damage. The 
wire worm, on the contrary, works entirely below 
the surface, and when you spade up a long, slender, 

95 



GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



jointed, brownish, wriggling worm, quite hard, you 
will know that he is one of the kind to be immedi- 
ately destroyed. 

These grubs and worms are the different kind of 
caterpillars, — the children, — of several varieties of 
moths that fly by night, the shining brown beetle 
that bumps against the ceiling on a summer even- 
ing, and the funny snap-bug." Crawling or fly- 
ing, young or old, parent or child, they generally 
do their worst after dark. Equal parts of soot and 
lime, well mixed, scattered in a four-inch ring 
around each stem on the top of the soil, will keep 
away the things that crawl, while white hellebore 
(a poison that must not get on little fingers,) dusted 
on the plants will keep off most of the things that 
fly. Rose bugs, however, seem to come in a class 
by themselves! Apparently, they don't mind any 
of the well-known deterrents and about the only 
way to really get rid of them is to ''go bugging,*^ 
which means knocking them off into a cup of kero- 
sene or a box where they can be killed. 

Caterpillars, naked or hairy, eat vegetation, and 
are consequently most unwelcome visitors. The 
Bowbug or pill-bug, while disagreeable to look at, 
is not quite so injurious as often thought, but the 
mite called the red spider can do a lot of dam- 
age. Most of the beetles seriously injure the vege- 

96 



GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



tables. The saw-flies with their offspring, and cer- 
tain kinds of ants (especially the ''soldier ants") 
are as troublesome as the caterpillars, while the 
next family group, the grasshoppers, locusts, katy- 
dids and crickets are all great feeders, — the grass- 
hoppers and locusts often becoming an actual 
plague and destroying whole crops. To get rid of 
the caterpillars and beetles various means are em- 
ployed, such as spraying with Paris green, Bor- 
deaux mixture, kerosene emulsion, or even strong 
suds made vnth whale-oil soap ; and Paris green is 
also applied dry. A pretty good poison is bran- 
and-arsenic mixture, but the different liquids and 
powders make a story by themselves, and require 
great care in using ; so you better consult some suc- 
cessful gardener-friend about the best one (and 
the way to use it,) for your particular foe. 

Of the sucking insects, — those that draw out 
the juice or sap of the plant, — the aphides or 
' ' plant lice ' ' do inestimable damage to all kinds of 
plants and flowers, while the chinch bug and garden 
tree-hopper seem to prefer to attack vegetables. 
The most familiar aphides are green, and they 
have tiny, soft, pear-shaped bodies, with long legs 
and * ' feelers. ' ' They usually live on the under side 
of the leaves and along the stems, and one good way 
to get rid of them is to spray with kerosene emul- 

97 



GARDENING FOE LITTLE GIELS 



sion or tobacco water, or else sprinkle with clear 
water and then dust with tobacco dust. 

Not all of the live things that you find about 
your plants and flowers are injurious, however, and 
you must learn to recognize those which are bene- 
ficial. The ladybug, although a beetle, lives on 
aphides, and so is your helper in destroying them. 
Several beetles, like the fiery ground beetle, sub- 
sist on cutworms, and the soldier bug dines on the 
destructive offspring of beetles and moths. The 
daddy-long-legs and the spider are also friends to 
your garden, together with many wasps. 

As for the bees, many, many plants are depend- 
ent on them for fertilization, as the insects in their 
search for honey go clear down into the flowers 
and carry with them the necessary pollen from one 
blossom to another. Two stories I have heard il- 
lustrate this point. In Australia many years ago 
people tried to introduce clover, but they could not 
make it grow until some one thought of importing 
the bees also. The native insects did not have a 
proboscis long enough to reach to the bottom of the 
flower, so that the pollen had never been properly 
placed. Then, not very long ago, a farmer living 
near a railroad had his crop of tomatoes ruined be- 
cause the railroad used soft coal, the soot of which 
— settling on the tomato blossoms—kept away the 

98 



GAEDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



bees so that the flowers were not fertilized! He 
sued the company and recovered damages. So 
you see the bee is really necessary for the success 
of your garden. 

Toads eat many of your small enemies, and 
should be encouraged by providing an upturned 
box or some cool, shady place in your garden where 
they can rest during the day, — for much of this 
''dog-eat-dog'' business, sometimes termed ^Hhe 
law of the jungle, ' ' goes on at night. 

Birds, however, wage open warfare, in broad day- 
light, and wherever the soil has been cultivated, in 
the fields or among the plants and flowers, the 
feathered tribe seek the very things you want de- 
stroyed. A well-known nurseryman, when the 
English sparrow was first introduced in this coun- 
try, noticed many of the birds among his choice 
roses, and to satisfy himself that they were not in- 
juring the plants, killed one of the fattest. An in- 
vestigation of his little stomach showed it to be 
chock-full of rose slugs and aphides, — the rose's 
worst enemies! 

The robins, of the thrush family, live almost en- 
tirely on worms and insects, and the bluebirds, 
orioles, tanagers and starlings, with the various 
songsters, should all be given a most cordial invita- 
tion to pay you a long visit. And this invitation? 

99 



GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



A place to live, if only a box nailed up on a tree, 
with an opening small enough to keep out intruders. 
A bird house more attractive in your own eyes is 
easily made by any boy or girl handy with a knife 
or a jig-saw, and really artistic houses, suited to 
particular birds, are described in various books 
and magazines, made from pieces of bark, sections 
of limb, or fir cones. A little study of the kind of 
nest each bird makes for itself may enable you to 
select your guests. The swallow, the cat-bird, the 
blackbird, the finch, — all should be welcomed : and 
suet tied on the branches, bread crumbs scattered 
around your door, grain sprinkled where you es- 
pecially want them to come, will encourage the win- 
ter birds to pay you a daily visit. 

A bird bath is sure to prove an irresistible at- 
traction. I have seen my back yard full of star- 
lings and sparrows, pushing and crowding each 
other to get into a little pool where the snow has 
melted around a clothes-pole ! A shallow pan, with 
an inch or two of water, will often draw so many 
birds that it has to be filled again and again dur-- 
ing the day. Birds suffer, too, in winter from 
thirst, and greatly appreciate a drinking place. A 
bird fountain, with its running water, is a delight 
for the rich; but a pretty enamelled tray, white 
or gray, and round, square or oval, can be bought 

100 



GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



in a department store for less than a dollar, and it 
can be sunk in the top of a vine-covered rockery or 
securely placed on a mossy stump, where it will 
bring both joy and birds to the smallest gardener. 

So cheer up. Though your foes, as described, 
seem a formidable army, remember all the friends 
that will rally to your aid, and with reasonable 
watchfulness and care, you and your garden will 
come out victorious. 



101 



CHAPTER XII 



A Morning Glory Playhouse 

Small service is true service while it lasts. 

Of humblest friends, bright creature! scorn not 
one; 

The daisy, by the shadow that it casts, 

Protects the lingering dewdrop from the sun. 

— WordsivortTi, 

You children love a playhouse, don't 3^ou? Yet 
it isn't always easy to get one. A morning glory 
bower, however, is a perfect delight, and very easy 
to make. Persuade some big brother to drive a 
few long stakes in the ground so as to mark out 
either a square or a circle, as you prefer. Then 
ask him to fasten some heavy cord from the bottom 
of one stake to the top of the next nearest, and then 
across the top, leaving only a place at one side for 
an entrance. Soak your morning glory seeds over 
night, so that they will germinate more quickly, 
and then plant them along the line of the circle or 

102 



GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



square marked on the ground. As soon as they 
begin to grow, train the vines on the cords, and 
if necessary tie in a few more strings near the bot- 
tom, to help the baby climbers get started. 

The morning glory grows very rapidly, and is 
justly popular because of its lovely blossoms which 
come in the most beautiful shades. And as the 
flowers always turn away from the sun, you will 
find them soon completely lining the inside of your 
playhouse. 

The most common kind (Convolvulus major,) 
grows from 15 to 20 ft., and will do well in almost 
any location. It costs only five cents per packet, 
and ^dll flower all summer. Who could ask more ! 
The rarer kinds are known as the Japanese Morning 
Glory, which grows from 30 to 50 ft., and has blos- 
soms measuring from 3 to 4 inches across. These 
range from snowy white to darkest purple through 
the pinks, both plain and with all kinds of va- 
riations. They grow and spread very fast, and 
love a sunny location. 

If you prefer, you can use the trunk of some 
tree for the center pole of your playhouse. (Pos- 
sibly some of you at the opera may have seen 
Siegmund draw the magic sword from the big tree- 
trunk in the center of his sweetheart's home.) 
Well, you could attach cords from pegs driven in 

103 



GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



a circle around the base, to the tree at any height 
desired, and here plant either the scarlet runner or 
the hyacinth bean. 

Still another way is to plant two poles 8 or 10 
ft. apart, and have a stick nailed across the top, 
like the ridge pole of a tent. Drive pegs into the 
ground along each side, in parallel lines 6 or 8 
ft. apart, and tie heavy cords from the pegs on one 
side to the pegs on the other, — carried, of course, 
over the ridgepole. Plant your seeds close to the 
pegs, and in a few weeks your vines will form a 
flower tent. For this purpose, you might use the 
climbing nasturtiums or the wild cucumber vine. 
Or, if you can save up the fifteen cents necessary, 
buy the new cardinal climber, which has clusters of 
five to seven blossoms each, of a beautiful cardinal 
red, from July until late fall. The vine grows rap- 
idly, and often more than 20 ft. long, so that when 
it reaches the ridge-pole, you can let it run over 
the other side, and make a good thick roof. The 
seeds are very hard, however, and so should either 
be soaked over night, or slightly nicked with a file. 

If you get a firm, strong framework for your 
playhouse, you might like to plant a hardy vine 
that would live through the winter and be ready 
for use early next summer without further trouble. 
In that ease, you could use the Dutchman's pipe, 

104 



GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



which is a fast growing climber having peculiar 
yellow-brown flowers the shape of a pipe. Though 
these seeds are only ten cents per packet, the young 
plants are sold by the nurserymen for fifty cents 
apiece: so if you grow them yourself you can 
figure out what a valuable little house you will 
have! 

The everlasting pea is a sprawling, quick grower, 
having many flowers in a cluster, and blooming in 
August. It thrives in even the most common soil, 
and gets better every year. It comes in white, pink 
and red, and a package of the mixed colors can 
be bought for five cents. 

Other things besides vines are good for flower 
playhouses. Hollyhocks, planted in a square or a 
circle, will soon be high enough to screen you from 
the curious butcher-boy or the neighbor's maid. 
While most kinds are biennials, and so do not bloom 
until the second summer, you can either coax a 
few plants from some grown-up friend that has 
a lot already established, or you can buy seed of 
the new annual variety, which, if sown in May, will 
flower in July! 

Sunflowers, too, are to be found in several va- 
rieties, ranging from 6 to 8 ft. in height, which you 
could use for a sort of a stockade, a la Robinson 
Crusoe. Those having the small blossoms are nice 

105 



GAEDENING FOR LITTLE GIELS 



for cutting, while the old-fashioned kind furnishes 
good feed for the chickens, — in which case your 
plants would be well worth growing for the seed. 

It will never do, however, for you simply to get 
your flower playhouse started, and then leave it to 
take care of itself! You must watch the baby 
plants as soon as they peep out of the ground, help 
the vines to grow in the right direction and water 
thoroughly whenever there is a dry spell. Culti- 
vate around the roots every few days, as this break- 
ing up of the hard crust which forms on top will 
prevent the moisture from escaping through the air 
channels in the soil, and keep the roots moist. Sev- 
eral times during the season dig in a trowelful of 
bonemeal around each plant, and then give a good 
wetting. 

While the hardy vines, after once getting started, 
bloom every year without much more attention, the 
annuals have one advantage, — you can have a dif- 
ferent kind every time. In other words, you would 
then be able to give your house a fresh coat of 
paint, — I should say, flowers — every summer. 



106 



CHAPTER XIII 



The Work of a Children's 
Garden Club 

I am ever being taught new lessons in my gar- 
den : patience and industry by my friends the birds, 
humility by the great trees that will long outlive 
me, and vigilance by the little flowers that need my 
constant care. 

— Rosaline NeisTi. 

Did you ever see the boy or girl that did not want 
to get up a club ? I never did ; and the reason is 
that people, young and old, like to both work and 
play together. Now a garden club is really worth 
while, and although I might simply TELL you 
how to proceed after getting your friends to meet 
and agree on the purpose, you probably will get 
a much clearer idea if I relate what a certain 
group of little folks actually did accomplish. 

Fifteen boys and girls living in old Greenwich 
Village, — -today one of the poor, crowded sections 
of New York City, where even the streets are dark- 

107 



GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



ened by a tall, unsightly elevated railroad, — were 
invited to form a club that would be taken once a 
week out on Long Island to garden. A vacant lot, 
one hundred by one hundred and ten feet, in Flush- 
ing, about twelve miles away, had been offered for 
their use, and some of the older people saw that the 
ground was first properly ploughed up, for, of 
course, the children couldn't be expected to do that 
kind of hard work. 

But they could, and they eagerly did see that 
the soil was then properly prepared by breaking up 
the clods, removing all the sticks and stones, and 
getting the earth raked beautifully smooth. Sev- 
eral Flushing ladies agreed to help, making out 
lists of the flowers and vegetables most easily grown 
there, getting the seeds free by asking for Ihem 
from their Congressman at Washington, and then 
showing the children how to plant. 

First a five-foot border was measured off clear 
around the lot, for a flower bed, and each child had 
its own section. After finding out what each one 
wanted to grow, one bed was planted to show how 
the work should be done, — the depth to put in the 
seeds, the distance the rows should be apart, the 
way to cover, besides the placing of the tallest 
flowers at the back or outer edge, and the lowest 
or edging plants along the foot path. 

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GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



This 18-in. path ran clear around the lot, leav- 
ing a large plot in the center. This plot was then 
marked off by string or wire to divide it into the 
vegetable gardens, with little walks between. The 
vegetable beds measured about 6 by 9 ft., but as 
6 ft. proved wide for small arms to reach over and 
cultivate, this year the beds are to be made 5 by 
10 ft. At first, too, each child grew its own few 
stalks of corn on its own bed, but it was difficult 
to manage, so now all the com will be grown in one 
patch, where it can be more easily hoed. 

The radishes and lettuce, of course, grew most 
quickly, and within five or six weeks were ready for 
the table. On that memorable first day, from the 
fifteen beds, over one thousand radishes alone were 
picked, and that original planting continued to pro- 
duce for nearly a month. Successive plantings 
brought on plenty for the rest of the season. The 
lettuce, too, grew abundantly, while the cucumbers 
were especially fine. String beans were ready very 
early, and three plantings during the season pro- 
duced sometimes two to three quarts a week for 
each child. Tomatoes grew in such profusion that 
once during the hot weather when they ripened 
faster than usual, a neighboring hospital was given 
two bushels ! 

And flowers! The children actually could not 
109 



GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



carry them away. They took home all they wanted, 
and made up the rest into thousands of little 
bunches which the city Plant, Flower and Fruit 
Guild gladly called for and distributed to the New 
York City hospitals, jails and missions. Freshly 
cut, they would last a week, until the children's 
next visit to their gardens. With hollyhocks, dah- 
lias, cannas and cosmos at the back of the border, 
and in front stocks, poppies, sweet alyssum, Japan- 
ese pinks, nieotiana, and the loveliest blue corn- 
flowers imaginable, they offered a choice variety. 

How the children loved the work! One poor 
little lame boy took some of his morning glory seed 
back to the slums and planted — where? In a box 
on the window ledge of a dark court that never saw 
a ray of sunshine. (The woman in the tenement 
below objected to having it on the fire escape in 
front and he had no other place.) And there it 
actually bloomed, dwarfed like its little owner, fra- 
gile beyond words, with a delicate flower no bigger 
than a dime, but answering the call of love. 

The gardens thrived in spite of the only once-a- 
week care. A pipe line, with a faucet, ran to the 
center of the lot, and plenty of watering cans were 
provided for the weekly use, but during any extra 
hot weather a friendly neighbor would turn on her 
hose in between times to save the crops. And a 

110 



GAEDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



children's outgrown playhouse, donated for the 
purpose, served as a convenient place to keep the 
garden tools. 

The garden work created general interest in all 
nature study, and the children would go on trips 
to gather all kinds of grasses, wild flowers, and 
swamp treasures. These were dried, then classi- 
fied, and later presented to the Public Library for 
the use of teachers and students of botany. And 
the little lame boy mentioned made a really beau- 
tiful collection of butterflies. 

If the club you organize wants a community 
garden, almost any owner of a vacant lot will give 
you its use, — especially if you offer in return to 
give him some fresh flowers and vegetables. If you 
prefer, however, you can have your gardens on 
your own grounds. Then a committee of your 
elders could be invited to give you suggestions as 
to the flowers and vegetables best adapted to your 
location and soil, and also to act as judges at your 
show. For, of course, when everything is at its 
best you will want to have an exhibition. Perhaps 
some father or mother will offer a prize,— a book 
on gardening, a vase or a plant for winter bloom- 
ing. 

Remember that both the Department of Agri- 
culture at Washington, and your State College of 

111 



GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



Agriculture are anxious to help this kind of work. 
The former gives you all the seeds you need, free 
of charge. Write to some well-known seed houses 
for catalogues, and you will get particulars about 
all the different varieties. Go to your Public Li- 
braries, and you will find the most fascinating 
books, many written especially for children, tell- 
ing you just what to do. ''When Mother Lets Us 
Garden," by Frances Duncan, is one of the best 
and simplest, while *' Little Gardens for Boys and 
Girls,'' by Higgins, ''Mary's Garden and How It 
Grew," by Duncan, "Children's Library of Work 
and Play Gardening," by Shaw, and "The School 
Garden Book," by Weed-Emerson, are all intensely 
interesting. 

If you find yourself so successful in your work 
that you have more flowers and vegetables than you 
can use, remember that there are always plenty of 
poor people in your own town who would gladly 
accept your gifts, and any church organization 
would tell you how to reach them. If, however, 
you are trying to earn some money for yourself, 
you can always find regular customers glad to buy 
things fresh from the garden. 

For a meeting place during the summer, why not 
plan a flower club-house? Perhaps some of the 
dear old grandmothers will give you a few hoUy- 

112 



> 
o 

Q 
O 

tr 

o 

d 



W 



GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



hock roots, wiiicli you can plant in a circle big 
enongh to hold your little clnb. Leave an open- 
ing in the ring just big enough to enter through, 
and before the season is very far along, the holly- 
hocks will be taU enough to screen you from the 
passerby. The hollyhocks sow themselves, and 
come up every year, and hybridized by the bees, 
show different colors every season. Better still, go 
to the woods for a lot of brush, stick it in the 
ground to form a square room, and cover with a 
brush roof. Over this you can train wild honey- 
suckle, which you can find in lengths of ten and 
twelve feet. Or you can buy a package or two of 
the Varigated Japanese Hop, which will grow ten 
feet in a month or six weeks, — and sowing itself, 
come up and cover your house every year. 

A garden club proves a source of pleasure 
through the winter, too. You can go on with the 
care and cultivation of house plants, and the grow- 
ing of aU kinds of bulbs. You can meet regularly 
at the different homes, and have the members pre- 
pare and read little papers such as ''How to Grow 
Roman Hyacinths in Water," ''The Best Flowers 
for a Window-Box,'' ''Raising Plants from Cut- 
tings.*' "Starting Seeds Indoors," "How to Make 
a Table TVater-Garden," etc. 

In case you wish to know exactly how to organize 
113 



GAEDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



and conduct a clnb, just like big folks do, — get from 
your Public Library a book called Boys' Clubs/' 
by C. S. Bernheimer and J. M. Cohen. This has 
also a chapter on girls' clubs, and it tells you all 
about club management, so that you can have a lot 
of fun at your meetings, besides learning a great 
many important things in a way that you will never 
forget. 



114 



CHAPTER XIV 



The Care of House Plants 

Who loves a garden loves a greenhouse too. 

— Cowper, 

*'If you are one of those people who love flowers 
and can make them grow/' said a Fifth Avenue 
florist to me recently, '^you can do almost anything 
you please with them, and they will thrive. ' ' ' ^ So, 
then," I laughed, *^you think love has a great deal 
to do with the matter?'' And he replied, ^^I most 
certainly do!" Therefore, if you love to see 'Hhe 
green things growing," enough to give them the 
least bit of intelligent care, you can reasonably hope 
to raise all you have room for. 

The main points to bear in mind are light, heat 
and moisture. Flowering plants need sunlight at 
least part of the day, and generally do best in a 
south window. Most of the decorative or foliage 
plants, on the other hand, will keep looking well 

115 



GAEDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



with only a reasonable amount of light, as when 
near a north or east window, if they have the 
proper amount of heat and moisture. But don't, 
please, set any plant back in the room, away from 
the light, and expect it to succeed very long, — for 
^ it never will ! Select, then, growing things suited 
to your living quarters, and learn their needs. 

The heat of many living-rooms is too great, — 
and too dry, — for some plants to do their best in, 
and they should be kept near the windows, although 
out of draughts. They usually will stand as much 
cold at night as they are likely to get in an ordi- 
nary house, so it is best not to overheat them dur- 
ing the day, but instead, keep them in a cool part 
of the room. Moreover, they thrive better if, when 
suitably placed, they are allowed to remain undis- 
turbed. 

The atmosphere should be kept moist by means 
of water kept on stove, register or radiator, but 
water to the roots should be applied to most plants 
only when the soil is dry. This during the winter 
generally means two or three times a week. With 
few exceptions, plants should not be watered while 
still showing dampness. 

*'I often wonder,'' said another florist, ''that 
women with gardens do not try to save some of their 
flowering plants that might easily be moved into 

116 



GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



the house. Perhaps they think it isn^t worth 
while. ' ' If they can afford to buy all they want to, 
that may be the reason, but the real flower lover 
will delight in coaxing some favorite to go on bloom- 
ing indoors. Heliotropes cut back, petunias and sal- 
vias, by being carefully lifted with a ball of earth 
so as not to disturb the roots, and then kept in the 
shade for a couple of days, ought to continue to 
bloom for some time. Begonias I have moved this 
way without affecting them for a single day. A 
small canna, thus potted, will last a long time and 
help out among the more expensive foliage plants. 
Geraniums, however, are the old stand-by of win- 
dow gardeners. If ^ ^slipped'' during the summer, 
by cutting off a tender shoot just below a joint, and 
putting it in a pot of light, rather sandy soil, 
and kept moist, it should bloom during the win- 
ter. It does best in sunshine. 

The kind of soil best adapted to houseplants gen- 
erally, is given by one authority as two parts loam, 
one part leaf mould, one part sharp sand. The 
variation of different growers simply proves what 
I have seen contended, that it is the proper tem- 
perature and moisture that really count. 

The city girl, with little space to spare, will 
find the begonias, in their many varieties, most 
satisfactory. They respond quickly to house treat- 

117 



GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



ment, and a small plant from the florist's will grow 
so rapidly as to soon need repotting. These favor- 
ites are of a large family, and some will stand con- 
siderable shade. A large, lovely specimen now 
about three years old, in my own home has devel- 
oped from a little thing costing fifteen cents. Get 
cultural directions for the kind you buy, as they 
differ. A couple of stalks broken from an old plant 
early in the season, and stuck in a small pot, if 
kept thoroughly damp, will soon root, and blossom 
in a very little while. 

Fuchsias are another old favorite easily grown 
from cuttings, and thriving well in a window. 
Primroses are easily grown from seed, and when 
started in February or March, should begin bloom- 
ing in November and under careful treatment, last 
through the winter. The crab cactus or ^ * Christmas 
cactus, " as I have heard it called, is one of the most 
easily grown houseplants, and sends out bright red 
flowers at the ends of the joints, making an attrac- 
tive plant for the holidays. 

Of the ferns, I have found several varieties ex- 
ceptionally satisfactory. A little Boston, costing 
only twenty-flve cents when bought for a small table 
decoration four or five years ago, and changed from 
one pot to another as groAvth demanded, today is 
five feet in diameter, — and the despair of the fam- 

118 



GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



ily on account of the room it requires. It has al- 
ways stood near either an east or a west window 
during the winter, in a furnace-heated, gas-lighted 
house, and been moved to a north porch during the 
summer. This type needs considerable moisture, 
and does best when watered every day. I have 
even seen it growing in a large basket placed in a 
pan of water. The leaves of this group must be 
kept clean, and I wash mine occasionally with a 
small cloth and warm water, using a little soap 
and then rinsing, if I discover any trace of scale, — - 
that little hard-shelled, brown pest often found 
on both stems and leaves. 

Both of the asparagus ferns, — ^the plumosus and 
the Sprengeri, I have grown from tiny pots until 
they became positively unwieldy, by giving about 
the same kind of treatment. None of these should 
be allowed to dry out, as they then turn brown 
and wither. The asparagus plumosus can be either 
pinched back to keep as a pot plant, or encouraged 
to grow as a vine. The asparagus Sprengeri is 
especially valuable for boxes and baskets, on ac- 
count of its long, drooping sprays, and if allowed to 
develop naturally during the summer, should be 
well covered with its lovely berries at Christmas 
time. 

The holly fern is especially beautiful, while also 
H9 



GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



quite hardy and — to its advantage — not so common 
as the varieties already mentioned. Several small 
specimens found planted at the base of a Christmas 
poinsettia were afterwards set out in small pots, 
and grew with surprising rapidity. They stood 
the dry heat of a steam-heated house, and kept a 
lovely glossy green when other plants were se- 
riously affected. 

Fern dishes are frequently filled with the spider 
ferns, though often combined with the others men- 
tioned. On a certain occasion, when a neglected 
fern dish had to be discarded, I discovered in the 
center a tiny plant still growing that looked so 
hardy I decided to repot it. It grew and, to my 
surprise, soon developed into an attractive little 
kentia palm, now three or four years old and eigh- 
teen inches high. I think that one reason the ordi- 
nary fern dish does not last long is that it is kept 
on table or sideboard all the time, too far away 
from the light. Often, too, it is not properly 
watered. If every morning after breakfast it were 
sprinkled in the sink, and then set near a window, 
though not in the sun, it would soon be getting too 
big for its quarters, and need dividing. It is well 
to remember that the container is shallow and 
holds very little earth, hence its roots are in dan- 
ger of drying out. 

120 



GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



All these ferns mentioned I have seen grown 
repeatedly, under varying conditions, in a furnace- 
heated house as well as a steam-heated apartment ; 
and with a reasonable amount of light, and water 
enough to keep them thoroughly moist, I have had 
them green and beautiful the year around. 

Palms and the popular foliage plants can be 
grown satisfactorily with little or no sunlight. 
The kentia palm before mentioned is one of the 
very hardiest, and will thrive where few others will 
grow. Both the cocoanut and date varieties can be 
easily grown from seed, — an interesting experi- 
ment. None of them require any particular treat- 
ment. A place by a north or east window will suit 
them perfectly; they will stand a temperature of 
forty-five degrees at night; but they do require 
plenty of water, and cleanliness of leaf. Water 
them as the earth becomes dry, but do not leave 
standing in half-filled jardinieres, (as people often 
do,) as much soaking spoils the soil. A good plan 
for plants of this class is to set them in a pail of 
warm water and leave for a few hours or over night, 
about once a week, and then when they become dry 
in between times, pour water enough around the 
roots to wet thoroughly. 

The rubber plant grows quickly compared with 
the palm, and requires very little attention. It 

121 



GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



does best in good soil, and thrives on being set in 
a half shady place outdoors during the sunmier. 
One that I have watched for four years has stood 
during the winter near a west window, only a few 
feet from a steam radiator. It would get quite dry 
at times, but never seemed to be affected at all. 
When a plant gets too tall for a room, and looks 
ungainly, make a slanting cut in the stem at the 
height desired, slip in a small wedge, and wrap 
the place with wet sphagnum moss, which must be 
then kept wet for several weeks. When you find 
a lot of new roots coming through this wrapping, 
cut off just below the mass and plant the whole 
ball in a pot with good soil. Keep in a shady place 
for a few days, and in a short time you will have 
two nice, well-shaped plants instead of the single 
straggly one. 

A group of three long, slender-leaved plants are 
the next of those easily grown for their foliage. 
The hardiest is the aspidistra, with its drooping 
dark green leaves, each coming directly from the 
root stalk, and it will stand almost any kind of 
treatment. From one plant costing a dollar and a 
half five years ago, I now have two that are larger 
than the original and have given away enough for 
five more. It has an interesting flower, too, — a 
wine-colored, yellow-centered, star-shaped blossom 

122 



GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



that pushes up through the earth just enough to 
open, and which often is hidden by the mud of ex- 
cessive watering. 

The pandanus produces long, narrow leaves from 
one center stem, and can be bought in plain green, 
green and white or green and yellow. It needs good 
drainage, but takes a rich soil and plenty of water. 
It stands exceedingly well the dust, dryness and 
shade of an ordinary living-room, so is a valuable 
addition to any collection of houseplants. It is 
easily multiplied by using the suckers as cuttings. 

The dracaenas are quite similar to the pandanus, 
only they are usually marked with a beautiful red. 
They are equally suitable for living quarters, and 
will thrive under the same conditions. The um- 
brella plant requires an unusual amount of water, 
and will grow nicely in a water garden. Its tall, 
graceful umbrellas make it an especially attrac- 
tive plant. The Norfolk Island pine is another 
popular houseplant that asks only to be kept cool 
and moist. Beautifully sjnnmetrical, it fits espe- 
cially well in certain places, and will respond grate- 
fully to even a reasonable amount of attention. 
For a small plant, the saxifraga I like very much, 
with its beautifully marked leaves and the runners 
which make it so effective for a bracket or basket. 

The ^ ' inch plant, " or ^ ' Wandering J ew, ' ' as some 
123 



GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



people call it, in both the green and the variegated, 
looks and does well in wall pockets or when grown 
on a window sill in a fine, thin glass. Smilax is 
also recommended for the window garden, and will 
grow in quite shady places, though it needs to be 
trained up. All the ferns and green plants men- 
tioned are likely to prove more satisfactory than 
the flowering ones to the amateur doomed to live 
in sunless rooms, — ^which, however, can be made 
most attractive with what is suitable. 

SIMPLE INDOOR NOVELTIES 

The prettiest kind of a little hanging basket is 
made by cutting off the top of a big carrot, care- 
fully scraping out the inside, running a cord 
through holes made near the rim, and keeping it 
full of water. It will soon resemble a mass of ferns. 

A lovely little water garden for the dining-room 
table is made by slicing a %-in. thick piece from the 
top of a beet and a carrot, and laying them in a 
shallow dish or bowl, with half an inch of water, — 
to not quite cover the slices. Set in the light for 
a few days and you will have soon a beautiful mass 
of feathery green and sword-like dark red foliage 
that will last for months. 

Grape fruit pips will sprout in a bit of soil 
124 



GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



very quickly, and make a mass of attractive green 
often where ferns have failed to grow. 

WINTER BLOOMING BULBS 

Of all the bulbs for winter blooming, the Chinese 
lily is one of the most satisfactory, as it flowers 
in a few weeks, and is grown in a shallow bowl in 
water, with pebbles to hold it in position. It is best 
to set it in a dark place for a week or two until 
the roots start, when it can be brought to a light 
window. 

The paper white narcissus and the Roman hya- 
cinth can also be grown in water, or placed in soil 
if preferred. They will blossom in about eight 
weeks. The other Dutch" bulbs will take longer, 
although the hyacinths are easily grown in water 
by setting each bulb in a hyacinth glass or an open- 
mouth pickle bottle, with water enough to just 
touch the bottom of the bulb, and then putting 
away in a cold, dark place (like a cellar), until the 
roots nearly touch the bottom of the glass. A few 
pieces of charcoal help to keep the water sweet. 
Bring gradually to a light window, and when flower 
buds are well started, put in the sun. By bringing 
out this way in the order of their best develop- 
ment, flowers can be had for a long season. The 

125 



GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



hyacinth bulbs can be bought from five cents to 
twenty-five cents apiece, according to their fine 
breeding. 

Tulips, daffodils and hyacinths when grown in 
good soil in the shallow ^^pans,'' should be set 
deeply enough to be just covered, quite closely to- 
gether if wanted in a group, thoroughly watered, 
and then put in a cold, dark place (frost free, how- 
ever). Keep moist for from two to four mos. — 
when you can begin bringing them into the warm 
living-room as desired, and place in the sunlight 
after buds form. "With this method is secured a 
succession of bloom from January until the spring 
flowers come out-of-doors. 

The freesia and the oxalis are of the ^^Cape" 
group of bulbs, and when started in the fall should 
blossom in four or five months. Plant in good, rich 
soil (half a dozen to a 5-in. pot), set away in a cool 
but light place, and leave until some leaf growth 
has started. Then bring into a light, warm room 
as desired for different periods of bloom. The 
amaryllis is another foreign bulb that comes into 
market in the late fall. Pot it in rich soil, rather 
sandy, do not cover the top of the buJb, and keep 
rather dry until it gets a good start. When buds 
are noticed, put the plant where it will get the sun- 
light, and water regularly. 

126 



GAEDENING FOR LITTLE GIELS 



SPRING BEAUTIES 

As I look up from my work, my eyes rest on the 
different spring bulbs blooming this 28th day of 
February, in my south window, against their snowj^ 
background, — purple crocus, both red and white 
tulips, and that loveliest of daffodils, the white- 
tipped Queen Victoria. They were potted last Oc- 
tober, covered up in an ash-lined trench outdoors 
until after the holidays, then carried into a cold 
but light attic for a w^eek, before finally being 
brought into a warm room. The daffodils cost but 
three cents apiece, yet each fills an ordinary pot, 
and produces three lovely blossoms, four inches 
across. 

A new fibre is now on the market at a very low 
price that can be used exactly like earth, only it 
does not sour, and consequently can be put in any 
fine bowl or jar, as it does not need drainage. 
Once thoroughly wet, it has only to be kept moist 
and the plants do as well as in soil. I, personally, 
prefer to plant in soil. 

The family living in an apartment with no cold 
place to start the bulbs that take so long, could 
easily fix a box or egg-crate under the coldest win- 
dow and darken it with a small rug, hiding there 
for a few weeks the Roman hyacinths and narcissi. 

127 



GAEDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



BOOKS FOR THE INDOOR GARDENER 

However successful you are with your window 
gardening, you are sure to enjoy knowing what 
other people have learned and written on the sub- 
ject, and a number of simple, interesting books are 
available. Your librarian will be glad to point out 
the best she has to offer, and there are several you 
may want to own. ^'Manual of Gardening," by 
L. H. Bailey, formerly Dean of the Agricultural 
College at Cornell University, is one of the most 
comprehensive, covering every phase of gardening, 
summer and winter, indoors and out ; ' ^ The Flower 
Garden," by Ida D. Bennett, devotes considerable 
space to house plants, window gardens, hot beds, 
etc. ; ' ' Green House and Window Plants, ' ' by Chas. 
Collins, is a little book by an English authority, 
and goes quite fully into soils, methods of propagat- 
ing, management of green houses, and also the 
growing of house plants ; '^Practical Horticulture," 
by our own Peter Henderson, while especially val- 
uable to the large commercial grower, contains 
much interesting information for the amateur; 

House Plants and How to Grow Them," by P. T. 
Barnes, however, is one of the simplest and best, 
and sure to suit the busy school-girl, in a hurry to 

128 



GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



find out the proper way to make her particular pet 
plant do its very best. 

And just as surely as she would not attempt 
to make a new kind of cake without a reliable re- 
cipe, just so surely ought she not to expect to grow 
flowers successfully without finding out first how 
it should be done. Flowers, like friends, have to 
be cultivated, and consideration of their needs pro- 
duces similar delightful results. 



129 



CHAPTER XV 



Gifts that will Please a Flower 
Lover 

Yon may break, you may shatter the vase if yon 
will, 

Bnt the scent of the roses will hang ronnd it still. 

— Moore, 

Christmas giving to the flower lover is a mat- 
ter of delight, for if you stop to think you will 
know what the recipient will be sure to appreciate. 
Cut flowers always afford joy, from an inexpensive 
bunch of carnations to the choicest American Beau- 
ties. The Christmas blooming plants, however, 
last much longer, and the rich scarlet berries of 
the ardesia will survive the holiday season by sev- 
eral months. Poinsettia has been steadily increas- 
ing in popularity, and can be surrounded by ferns 
that will live on indefinitely. All the decorative 

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GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



foliage plants are sure to be welcomed, for with 
care they will last for years, and improve in size 
and beauty. 

The growing fad for winter-blooming bulbs af- 
fords another opportunity for pleasing. If you 
did not start in time to grow to flower yourself, 
give your friend one of the new flat lily bowls, pro- 
curable from fifty cents up, and with it a collection 
of bulbs for succession of bloom. These may be 
started in any kind of dishes with pebbles and 
water, set in a cool, dark place until the roots start, 
and then brought out to the light as desired. With 
narcissi at three cents each, Chinese lilies at ten 
cents, and fine hyacinths up to twenty cents, for 
named varieties, a dollar's worth will keep her in 
flowers for the rest of the winter. 

Pretty little stem holders, made in pottery leaves, 
mushrooms, frogs, etc., cost only from forty cents to 
fifty cents, and will be nice to use in the bowl after- 
ward, for holding any kind of cut flowers. We are 
adopting more and more the Japanese method of 
displaying a few choice specimens artistically, and 
assuredly this way they do show up to better ad- 
vantage. Many new vases are displayed for the 
purpose. A charming Japanese yellow glaze, ten 
in. high, with a brown wicker cover, I saw for only 
a dollar and a quarter, while the graceful Japanese 

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GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



yellow plum blossom shown with it at thirty-five 
cents a spray, was a delight to the eye. A slender 
ground glass vase in a plated cut silver holder was 
only twenty-five cents, while the Sheffield plate bud 
vase was but fifty cents. These could be duplicated 
in cut glass and sterling silver at almost any price 
one wished to pay. 

Venetian glass is quite fashionable, and can be 
had in all colors — red, blue, green, yellow and 
black, and while expensive, has been imitated in 
domestic ware at reasonable prices. Some of the 
new pottery bowls come in unusual shapes, in white, 
gray, green, blue, and many are small enough for 
a single bulb. A lover of the narcissus myself, I 
am delighted with the idea of bringing out my 
paper whites one at a time, so as to keep a lovely 
gray-green piece in use all winter. One of my 
friends, on the other hand, is groT\dng hers in 
groups of half-a-dozen, the warm brown of the bulbs 
harmonizing most artistically with her delicately 
colored stones in a brown wicker-covered Japanese 
glazed dish. 

This brown Japanese wicker, by the way, is most 
decorative, and can be found in various kinds of 
baskets, metal-lined, for cut flowers or plants of 
that grow in water, — some as low as ten cents 
apiece. A tall-handled basket of this kind is 

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GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



now standing on my buffet, beautiful with the vari- 
gated trailing sprays of the Wandering Jew. One 
could not ask for a more satisfying arrangement. 

Enamelled tinware, hand-painted, is new, too, 
and comes in many pottery shapes, though strange 
to say, often at higher prices. Hand-painted china 
butterflies, bees and birds, at from twenty-five cents 
to fifty cents, are among this year's novelties, and 
look very realistic when applied invisibly with a bit 
of putty to the edge of bowl or vase. Some of the 
birds are painted on wood, life-sized, and mounted 
on long sticks, to be stuck in among growing plants 
or on the tiny trellises used for indoor climbers. 

Many novelties in growing things can be found 
at the florist's — from the cheapest up to all you feel 
like paying. A dainty new silver fern, big enough 
for a small table, comes in a thumb pot at only ten 
cents. Haworthia is cheap, too, and has the advan- 
tage of being uncommon. More and more do we 
see of the dwarf Japanese plants, many quite inex- 
pensive. The J apanese cut leaf maple, for example, 
can be bought for seventy-five cents. All are hardy, 
and suitable for small table decorations. 

The new '^air plant," or '^Wonder of the 
Orient'' (really an autumn crocus) , surprises every 
one not acquainted with it, as it flowers during the 
late fall and early winter, without either soil or 

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GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



water, as soon as pnt in the sunlight for a few 
days. Better still, when through blooming, it will 
live through the year if put in soil, and store up 
enough energy to repeat the performance when 
taken out next season. Costing a dollar each when 
first introduced here, it can now be bought as low 
as ten cents a bulb. 

Japanese fern balls, black and unpromising as 
they look when purchased, respond to plenty of 
light, heat and water by sending out the daintiest 
kind of feathery ferns in a few weeks, and will 
last for several years. They cost only thirty-five 
cents, too. Quaint, square pottery jars, suspended 
in pairs by a cord over a little wheel, like buckets 
on a well rope, make unusual hanging baskets and 
can be filled with your favorite vines and flowers. 

Garden tools are always acceptable as the old 
ones wear out or get lost, and you can choose from 
the three-prong pot claw at a nickel up to the 
fully equipped basket at several dollars. Hand- 
woven cutting baskets, mounted on sharp sticks for 
sticking in the ground when you are cutting your 
posies, cost two dollars and a half, but will last for 
years. Small hand-painted, long-spouted watering 
cans, for window sprinkling, cost less than a dollar 
and look pretty when not in use. And for the per- 
son with only a window garden, the self-watering, 

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GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



metal-lined window boxes, that preclude dripping 
on the floor, will be a boon indeed. 

Goldfish are pretty sure to please, for your 
flower lover is also the nature lover. Even the 
tiniest bowl is attractive, and one I saw recently 
had been in the house over two winters. The globe, 
however, does not meet our modern ideas for the 
reason that the curved glass reduces the area of 
water exposed to the air, so is bad for the fish. 
The new all-glass aquariums can be bought in either 
the square or cylindrical shapes, from a dollar and 
a quarter up, according to size and quality, while 
the golden inmates can be found from five cents, for 
the child's pet up to the fancier's Japanese prize- 
winner at one thousand dollars. Your aquarium 
will require no change of v/ater, either, if properly 
balanced. Put in for the fishes' needs such oxygen- 
producing plants as milfoil, (Millefolium,) fish 
grass, (Cabomba,) common arrow head, (Sagittaria 
natans,) and mud plant, plantain, (Heteranthera 
Reniformis,) the first and third being especially 
good together. These in turn will thrive on the car- 
bonic acid gas the fish exhale, so that one supports 
the other. A snail or two (the Japanese red, at 
twenty-five cents, preferred for looks,) and a ne^\i: 
will act as scavengers, and keep the water clear as 
^r^stal For food, put in a small quantity of meat 

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GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



once a week, as the coimnereial ^^fish food'' event- 
ually causes tuberculosis. 

Birds, too, are generally popular with flower lov- 
ers. Canaries probably are the stand-bys, though 
in the cities the uncommon little beauties often are 
preferred. Polly, however, holds her own, and with 
many people is the favorite. 

Books, — always a safe and inexpensive gift, — are 
obtainable for the flower lover, in the most fascinat- 
ing editions. They cover all phases of the subject, 
indoors and out, from the window garden to the 
vast estate, the amateur to the professional grower. 
And no true gardener could sit down by a blazing 
log on a blizzardy night, with Helena Rutherford 
Ely's ''The Practical Flower Garden," or L. B. 
Holland's ''The Garden Blue Book," filled with 
wonderful photographs and colored plates, without 
quickly becoming lost to the storm outside, and 
conscious only of sun-kissed lawns with blossoms 
nodding in the breeze. Heaven ? Your friend will 
already be in imagination's Paradise, with an in- 
creasing sense of gratitude over your thoughtful 
selection. 



136 



CHAPTER XVI 



The Gentlewoman's Art- 
Arranging Flowers 

In Eastern lands they talk in flowers, 

And they tell in a garland their loves and cares ; 

Each blossom that blooms in their garden bowers, 
On its leaves a mystic language bears. 

—Percival. 

The above is almost literally true ! You may be 
surprised to know that the arranging of flowers 
has not only long been considered an art, but that 
for centuries it has been closely connected with the 
whole life of a nation. 

Away back in 1400, a certain ruler of Japan be- 
came so interested in this fascinating subject that 
he resigned his throne in order to study that and 
the other fine arts! One of his friends, — a great 
painter, — worked out the scientific rules vv^hich are 
still generally accepted, and the study became the 

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GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



pastime of cultured people. Moreover, Japan's 
greatest military men have always practised the 
art, claiming that it calmed their minds so that 
they could make clearer decisions on going into 
battle ! 



Briefly put, the Japanese ideas are as follows: 
First, to use very few flowers (preferably three, 




BLOSSOMS IN JAPANESE ARRANGEMENT 



five, or seven, with their foliage), and but one kind 
together. Then to arrange these so that the three 
main blossoms form a triangle, — the highest point 
of which they usually call Heaven, the middle point 
Man, and the lowest point Earth. If five or seven 
flowers are used, the others are the unimportant 
ones, and used as ^ ' attributes, ' ' placed near the im- 
portant points. And as many of their favorite flow- 

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GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



ers, like the iris and the chrysanthemum, have qnite 
straight stems, people have to learn how to bend 
them without breaking. Each flower is studied, se- 
lected for its place in this triangle, and then, oh! 
so very delicately, shaped to the desired line. 

And then as so few flowers would be apt to slip 
around, they skilfully hold them in place by means 
of slender sticks, cut the exact size, split at one end, 
and then sprung into place across the vase or bowl. 

If the stems curve to one side, it is called the 
male style, if to the other, the female style; the 
arrangement must look not like cut flowers, but 
like the living plant, and suggest the growth by 
the use of buds, open flowers and withered leaves. 
Good and evil luck are connected with the placing, 
as well as with the colors and the numbers chosen, — 
even numbers and red being ill-omened. Certain 
arrangements also suggest the seasons, one style, 
for instance, representing spring and another au- 
tumn. "While we today are not interested in Japan- 
ese symbolism, we, many of us, are quite interested 
in Japanese methods on account of their artistic 
effects. 

Many books have been written by the Japanese 
on their favorite subject, — some as far back as the 
Thirteenth Century! Of course you never could 
read them even if you could find them here ; but a 

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GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



"Western woman spent a long time over there, study- 
ing under the guidance of their priests, and re- 
cently wrote a book (''Japanese Flower Arrange- 
ment," by Mary Averill,) which explains every- 
thing and is full of illustrations, so that you can see 
for yourself the results of following the Japanese 
way. 

Her most interesting message for you may be one 
method they have of making their flowers last. 
During moderate weather it can be done in this 
country by simply holding the stems of the flowers 
in a gas or candle flame until black and charred, 
and then putting the flowers in very cold water for 
seven or eight hours. 

Another book, with a lot of beautiful pictures 
showing us how to arrange flowers to please better, 
perhaps, our American taste, is ''The Flower Beau- 
tiful,'' by Clarence Moores Weed. It illustrates 
most of our own familiar flowers, in all kinds of 
artistic holders, and is sure to give us new ideas 
about arranging them so as to enable us to bring 
out their full loveliness. Both of these books should 
be found in any good Public Library, and in look- 
ing them over, you will have a treat. 

A prominent New York florist, in showing our 
Garden Club his methods of arranging flowers, 
advised (for one thing) filling a low bowl with 

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GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



broken twigs or branches, to hold the stems and 
keep the flowers in position without crowding. 
Breaking up a few ferns to illustrate, he dropped 
them in a cut glass dish, and then stuck in a dozen 
stalks of pale pink primroses. The result was an 
inexpensive table decoration as beautiful as any 
costly display of roses. Personally, I did not ap- 
prove of his ferns, as they would very quickly de- 
cay in the water : but as a child I had learned from 
my grandmother his better idea of half-filling the 
dish with clean sand. It holds the stems exactly 
as placed, and can be entirely hidden by the foliage. 

Roses, the gentleman also told us, draw up water 
above the surface only one-half the length of the 
stem in the water, and consequently should not ex- 
tend more than that height above the water, — else 
the forcing power*' (as it is called) will not carry 
it far enough to sustain the flowers at the end of 
the stems, (This may account for my own success 
in keeping roses often for a week, for I usually take 
them out of the water, lay them in a wet box or 
paper, and place them flat in the ice-box over night 
so the water in the stems can flow to the extreme 
end.) He also said they should never be crowded 
together, but rather be separated as the primroses 
were. Both the leaves and the thorns under water 
should be removed, as the leaves quickly foul the 

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GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



water, and the breaking off of the thorns opens 
new channels for nourishment to reach the flowers. 

The flat Japanese bowls so popular the past few 
years, are not only artistic, but good for the flow- 
ers, which in them are not crowded, and so can get 
their needed oxygen. They can be held in place 
by the transparent glass holders if one objects (as 
the florist did,) to the perforated frogs, turtles, 
mushrooms, etc., now to be bought wherever vases 
and other flower holders are sold. Any one who 
has tried to arrange even half a dozen blooms in 
this simple way will never go back to the crude, old- 
fashioned mixed bouquet ! On the tables of the fine 
restaurants in New York City one most often sees 
only a simple, clear glass vase, with perhaps only 
two or three flowers; but they can be enjoyed for 
their full beauty. 

The secret of the whole subject is simplicity! — 
and you never know what you can do until you try. 
At our last Garden Show I had expected to make 
a well-studied arrangement of wild flowers for that 
class of table decorations, but did not have the 
time. At the last moment I took an odd little glass 
basket, filled it with damp sand, and stuck it full 
of cornflowers, (what you might call ragged robins 
or bachelor buttons, and which I grow to go with 
my blue china,) so that the holder was nearly hid- 

142 



GARDENING FOB LITTLE GIRLS 



den. On seeing it in place, on the show table, I 
frankly confess I was quite ashamed of my effort, 
it looked so very modest : and you can imagine my 
great surprise when I discovered later that it was 
decorated with a coveted ribbon ! 

There is one way, however, in which the mixed 
bouquet can be put together so as to look its best, 
and our florist-guest demonstrated it. On coming 
to the close of his remarks he began picking up 
the flowers he had been using in his various ar- 
rangements with his right hand and placing in his 
left, — paying no attention whatever to what he 
took, nor even looking at what he was already hold- 
ing. Rose, daisy, jonquil, primrose, everything, 
just as he chanced to find it at hand, went together. 
But, — and here was the secret of the successful re- 
sult — he grasped them all at the extreme lower 
end of their stems, whether long or short, so that 
the bouquet on being completed had that beautiful 
irregular outline as well as the mixed color that 
Mother Nature herself offers us in the garden ! So 
if you ever have to put a quantity of mixed flowers 
together, remember to do it this way. 

And now a last word about flower growing. 
Don't you know that old adage, ending *Hry, try 
again?" "When you think of the great Burbank, 
growing thousands upon thousands of a single kind 

143 



GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 



of plant or flower in order to develop one to per- 
fection, you can have patience in spite of pests 
and weather. I hope you will have quantities of the 
loveliest blossoms, and for the happiest occasions of 
life. 

May you realize all your fondest expectations. 



144 



